On June 16th, ACCESS Health India, in collaboration with the State Health Agency for Comprehensive Health and Integrated Services (SAHIS) and Pathkind Labs, organized an NCD Screening Camp in the district of Bahriach, Uttar Pradesh, India. Conducted at CHC Kaiserganj, the camp served over 400 beneficiaries with screening services for hypertension, blood sugar, and cervical cancer.
While 282 beneficiaries were screened for hypertension, another 191 got their blood sugar levels tested. Pap smears were administered to women at the camp who reported symptoms such as vaginal discharge, bleeding, and pelvic pain, in consultation with a medical doctor.
The screening camp was preceded by a training session for the staff at the first-referral unit on using the NCD app designed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The app is designed to be used by frontline workers at the primary healthcare level. It encourages them to digitally record the health parameters of beneficiaries screened for non-communicable diseases, namely: Cancer (Oral, Breast, and Cervix), Cardiovascular Diseases, Stroke, and Diabetes.
Bahraich is one of the eight districts in Uttar Pradesh identified by the Government of India for health indicators-based transformation as part of its Aspirational Districts Programme. The NCD Screening Camp-a special initiative by SACHIS (the implementation agency for the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana), ACCESS Health, and Pathkind Labs-aimed to give beneficiaries in the district access to quality diagnostics and aid in the early detection of non-communicable and lifestyle diseases.
This camp is the first of many interventions ACCESS Health hopes to deploy in the state, with the support of the Government of Uttar Pradesh, to mobilize frontline workers to promote better health outcomes.