Chennai: The health department in Tamil Nadu informed on Sunday that it would issue health cards to everyone with their names, age, occupation, health profile, and treatments undertaken, IANS reported.
In a statement, State Health Minister Ma Subramanian said that the health card scheme is part of the 'Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvum' scheme. It was under this scheme people were treated for diabetes and hypertension at their doorsteps, and it included providing dialysis kits, physiotherapy, and palliative care.
The statement further said that there are 5.98 crore adults in Tamil Nadu, and 4.48 crore people have been screened and found that 33 lakh people have hypertension, 23.1 lakh people have diabetes, and 16.8 lakh people have a combination of both. Three lakh people have received palliative care, and 6 lakh received physiotherapy, it added.
Also, the model family booklet on health that has been distributed by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to some areas will be extended across the city as well as the state, the minister's statement said.
The health department said that GCC had screened people for ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer(oral, breast, and cervix), mental health, pulmonary diseases, tuberculosis, chronic kidney ailments, and leprosy. Follow-up care will also be entered in the booklet, the statement said.
The objective of the health department is to create a profile and estimate diseases in the state. Also, the health status of the people to rework the strategies of the Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam scheme.