Screening for non-communicable diseases

The Tata Trusts drive a pan-India initiative in screening for non-communicable diseases (NCD). This aims for early detection and management of NCDs and uses interventions for technology and the skill building of frontline health workers in all 29 states and 9 union territories. This includes 165 NCD districts (as defined by the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke) and 117 aspirational districts in 28 states to expedite improvement in their socioeconomic status. Screenings for key NCDs for the over-30 population in these districts are done at health and wellness centres (HWCs). All primary healthcare centres (PHCs) and sub-centres will be converted into HWCs.

This initiative, in collaboration with the Government of India, aims to screen over 100 million Indians over the age of 30 for NCDs such as hypertension, diabetes and the three most common cancers – oral, breast and cervical cancers. This is being done with the help of an NCD app being developed by Dell. The central government provides infrastructure, human resources, technical inputs, and hardware (tablets equipped with the NCD app). It also facilitates coordination with state governments. The Trusts implement and manage the programme, provide skill building of human resources, and provide inputs on improvement to the respective governments.

Key functional areas

• Mentor and build capacity of frontline healthcare workers: The Trusts employ a cascading model of training, where state and national level trainers will, in turn, train frontline workers on the usage of the NCD app developed by Dell.
• Deploy NCD app and provide services and linkages to improve the IT setup in the health sector.
• Manage Technical Support Units (TSUs): The Trusts will provide a decentralised helpline and technical support at national, state and district levels.
• Strengthen the programme monitoring and evaluation systems.
• Support the government in developing material for information, education and communication (IEC).

Areas of Operation: Pan-India