BMC To Conduct Diabetes Screening Across Mumbai Post Diwali Festival

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Public Health Department intends to begin diabetes screening on November 20 at various locations throughout the city.

Diabetes is a condition that many people are unaware they have, which can have a number of complications, according to Executive Health Officer Dr. Daksha Shah. The civic organisation will host screening workshops throughout Mumbai shortly after Diwali celebrations in order to address this issue, Dr. Shah stated.

She further explained that locations with high traffic volumes, like malls and train stations, have been chosen by the BMC for screening. Officials will erect health desks staffed by physicians and other medical personnel from the Health Department.

A health official said that it is a matter of concern for all, as non-communicable diseases are becoming more prevalent nationwide. In addition, silent killers like diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks, and cancer exist. Testing for diabetes will enable the BMC to determine the precise number of individuals afflicted with the condition.

Recently a survey was conducted by BMC and the World Health Organization of the households. In the survey, they collected data on risk factors via in-person interviews (step 1), basic physical examinations (step 2), and the collection of urine and blood samples for biochemical analysis (step 3). The survey revealed that 18% of respondents had elevated fasting blood glucose levels of more than 126 mg/dl (normal: 70-99).

The results were in line with the 2019–20 National Family Health Survey–5, which reported that 17% of women and 18% of men over the age of 15 had random blood glucose levels higher than 140 mg/dl.

Patients visiting maternity homes or civic dispensaries are now receiving free diagnostic testing. Before the civic authorities made the implementation of this rule in the final week of June, patients under the Aapli Chikitsa scheme had to pay anywhere from INR 50 to INR 100 for the tests; however, from that point on, all tests are free. BMC consists of 28 maternity homes and 190 dispensaries.

With this action, BMC puts an end to a trend that began when it opened free mohalla clinics in late October 2022, providing medical care and testing.

The BMC has made another significant decision to establish its own university and has started the process of obtaining the deemed status for this new establishment. The main goal is to combine its highly regarded medical and dental schools - KEM, LTMG, BYL Nair, RN Cooper, and Nair Dental - under the auspices of this new university. Currently, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) is associated with BMC colleges.

Upon achieving deemed status, the BMC will have more control over these institutions and will be able to make more decisions about hiring faculty, developing curriculum, setting fees, starting fellowships, and pursuing partnerships abroad. Notably, this action will additionally allow the BMC to obtain a 50% grant from the University Grants Commission (UGC), thereby facilitating the operation of these institutes and yielding significant budgetary savings. The BMC provides INR 3,000 crore a year to support these schools and the associated hospitals.