Gandaki province govt launches screening campaign for non-communicable diseases

Gandaki, April 17: The Gandaki province government and the local levels have launched a 'screening' campaign for non-communicable diseases.

The screening campaign has been launched at the community level to diagnose non-communicable diseases including blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and cancer.     

According to Khim Bahadur Khadka, director general of the Province Health Directorate, the first phase of screening camps has been completed in all the districts except Lamjung, Gorkha and Manang.     

"The Ministry of Health is running this campaign by selecting one local level of the district as a model programme," he said adding that the local levels have started screening for non-communicable diseases even after using their own resources.     

The Ministry of Health has allocated Rs 10 million in the current fiscal year for the programme. Dev Prakash Ghimire, tuberculosis inspector at the Province Public Health Office, Baglung, said that the test for non-communicable diseases was conducted on the occasion of Health Service Day, the Child-friendly Baglung City Declaration Programme and the Democracy Day.     

"Studies have shown that 71 per cent of deaths in Nepal are due to non-communicable diseases," he said, adding that many people have been affected by such diseases due to unhealthy diet, lifestyle, etc. He stressed on the need to go to the villages and screen for non-communicable diseases properly.     

Health Minister Krishna Pathak said that there are many issues that need to be improved in the health sector related to the daily life of the citizens, and solutions would be found through policy arrangements.(RSS)