KOCHI: In a boost to the healthcare sector in the state, the national-level programmes for lifestyle diseases and that for the care of elderly persons will be extended to four more districts by next month. The programmes with a joint outlay of Rs 10 crore will benefit Alappuzha, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Idukki. The programmes were piloted last year in the Pathanamthitta district. The two programmes, namely the National Programme for the Healthcare for the Elderly (NPHCE) and the National Programme for the Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS), will be taken up jointly. “Since both the programmes have similar mechanisms in terms of operation, they will be taken up simultaneously with the sharing of resources between the two,” said the State Nodal Officer for NPCDCS and NPHCE Dr S Hafiz. Under the NPHCE programme, exclusive clinics for the healthcare of the elderly will be set up at the Primary Health Centres, the Community Health Centres and the District Hospitals. At the PHC and the CHC levels, persons aged above 60 years will be provided with regularly check-ups. Financial help will also be provided for drugs in each of these hospitals. The scheme, which was piloted in Pathanamthitta last year, is expected to be extended to all the 14 districts by the next Five-Year-Plan.
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