Health Ministry and ICMR launch India Hypertension Management Initiative

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had launched India Hypertension Management Initiative (IHMI).
The IHMI aims to reduce disability and death related to cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in India. It also aims to strengthen CVD component of Health Ministry’s National Program for Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS).

India Hypertension Management Initiative (IHMI)

The IHMI is collaborative project of ICMR, MoHFW, World Health Organization (WHO), State Governments and Resolve to Save Lives initiative of Vital Strategies. Its primary goal is to reduce morbidity and mortality due to CVDs, by improving control of high blood pressure, which is leading risk factor for CVDs among adults in India.
The IHMI focuses on five essential components of scalable treatment of hypertension. It will also focus on strengthening hypertension management and monitoring at primary health care level, within existing healthcare system. It is aligned with WHO’s Global HEARTS Initiative and National Guidelines.
It will support adoption of standardized simplified treatment plans for managing high blood pressure, ensure regular and uninterrupted supply of quality-assured medications, and patient-centred services that reduce barriers to treatment adherence.
It will also focus on data on hypertension to improve it through streamlined monitoring systems and lessons learned and practice-based evidence that will inform further interventions to improve cardiovascular care. IHMI will be progressively rolled out in 25 districts in first two years across districts selected by MoHFW for expansion of active screening and intensification of treatment activities for hypertension.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2017