Over 50 million Indians to receive diabetes screening

The Indian government have announced they are to screen over 50 million citizens for conditions such as diabetes and cancer over the next couple of months. They intend to carry out the mass screening programme before September, when the UN General Assembly is due to hold a special session to discuss further ways of controlling their spread.
The government have also launched a major drive for free screening of diabetes and hypertension in 33 cities and 100 different districts with big populations, as well as 700 other health centres that can treat for the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and stroke.
Recent research has found that there are over 50 million patients with diabetes in India, with the prevalence of diabetes being about 10 per cent in urban adults and 3.5 per cent in rural adults.
The Indian Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, commented “We all are concerned about non-communicable diseases which become cause for 50 percent total deaths in the country. It has been learnt that cancer and diabetes are going to affect our country badly.”
Sheila Dikshit, the Delhi Chief Minister, also pointed out “The statistics on diabetes and high blood pressure are alarming. The government is committed to contain damage of such diseases at the earliest, so that the diseases may not become fatal.”