The Hindu Business Line : Govt to launch health missions for diabetes, cardio diseases

THE Union Government will launch two national health missions this year, specifically targeting diabetes and cardio-vascular diseases and speech and hearing disorders.

Announcing this here on Thursday, Mr Anbumani Ramadoss, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, said diabetes and cardio problems could pose a major problem. Mr Ramadoss was here to inaugurate the three-day World Sight Day celebrations organised by the Lions Club International.

On the National Rural Health Mission launched by the Prime Minister early this year, he said women health workers held the key in making the mission a success. "We will train about 2,50,000 ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers," he told reporters after the inaugural.

The Government is also working on a comprehensive health insurance scheme. "Only one per cent of the population have access to such schemes, while eight per cent have access to some sort of insurance schemes," he said.

Stating that campaign against blindness was a national movement, he said the Government targeted to reduce the incidence of blindness to 0.8 per cent by 2007 from the present 1.1 per cent. "It will be further reduced to 0.5 per cent by 2010 and 0.3 per cent by 2015," he said.

Recognising the fact that there was a shortfall of about 80,000 corneas every year, he said the proposed advisory group would discuss issues such as "grief counsellors" to encourage donors, and the kin of the deceased to donate eyes. It would also seek to involve medical colleges in promoting donation of eyes.

Calling for efforts to reduce the gap between the demand and availability of corneas, Dr Ramadoss expressed concern over the poor utilisation of donated eyes. "Only 32-80 per cent of them are utilised. We should evolve a mechanism to use all of them," he pointed out.

Dr Ramadoss said India was likely to eliminate leprosy by the year-end and get the polio-free tag next year. Referring to the tobacco industry's criticism that it was being singled out (on banning smoking in films), he said tobacco was responsible for 40 per cent of the health problems.

The deadline for the film industry wouldn't be extended further. "Let us start the New Year afresh (with the ban)," he quipped.

Earlier, he released the first State of World Sight Report 1999-2005.

The report, simultaneously launched in London, assessed the concerted efforts made worldwide in fighting blindness.

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