Social Issues
In News: India registers success with BP treatment and control
- The India Hypertension Control Initiative, started in 2018, has been successful in treating and controlling hypertension
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death among adults in India.
- One of the major drivers of heart attack and stroke is untreated high blood pressure or hypertension.
- India has more than 200 million people with hypertension, and only 14.5% of individuals with hypertension are on treatment
India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI)
- India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) is a multi-partner initiative involving the Indian Council of Medical Research, WHO-India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and State governments to improve blood pressure control for people with hypertension.
- The project initiated in 26 districts in 2018 has expanded to more than 100 districts by 2022.
- More than two million patients were started on treatment and tracked to see whether they achieved BP control.
- The project demonstrated that blood pressure treatment and control are feasible in primary care settings in diverse health systems across various States in India.
- Before IHCI, many patients travelled to higher-level facilities such as community health centres (block level) or district hospitals in the public sector for hypertension treatment.
- Over three years, all levels of health staff at the primary health centres and health wellness centres were trained to provide treatment and follow-up services for hypertension.
Source: The Hindu
