Taluk hospitals to get NCD clinics

Kozhikode: Public need not depend on the private hospitals to carry out tests to detect lifestyle diseases anymore. The National Health Mission has commenced steps to set up the Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) clinics at the district hospital and four Taluk hospitals in the district.
The move has taken as part of the step taken to enhance the treatment facilities at the taluk hospital.The NHM will set up NCD clinics at the Vadakara district hospital and Taluk Hospitals situated at Koyilandy, Perambra, Kuttiyadi and Nadappuram . The public can conduct tests to detect lifestyle disorders such can cancer, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, strokes to take early detection to take preventive measure.
The NHM had set up the NCD clinics at the Community Health centres four years ago as part of the launch of the scheme. The NCD clinics at Taluk and District hospital are being introduced for the expansion of the scheme taken to upgrade the treatment facilities at the hospitals.
The NHM will appoint staff including doctors, staff nurse, dietician, and a data entry operator for the effective functioning of the clinics coming up at the hospitals. The NHM has already allotted Rs 1 lakh each to the hospitals to commence steps for the setting up of the clinics. The tests will be conducted at free of cost.
Dr A Baburaj, NHM district project manager said that patients detecting with dreaded diseases or need further treatment will be referred to doctors at the district or medical college for further treatment. "The clinics will commence its operation before the end of this month,’’ he said adding that the NHM has already started deploying required staff for the effective functioning of the centres.