India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI)

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