25,000 people to be screened by RID 3190 across 40 booths
As primary health centres and private hospitals in Karnataka are busy treating Covid patients, DG Nagendra Prasad, RID 3190, in consultations with S Jayaraman, district director, disease prevention, and Dr Sumukh, director, Project Positive Health, planned to screen 25,000 citizens for non-communicable diseases under the Know your numbers – Stop NCD project.
To begin with, it was decided to leverage the services of 40 Mercy Booths — fever clinics being run by an NGO coalition for slum dwellers where temperature, oxygen saturation and BP are checked and the patients are sent to Covid testing, if needed.
Rotary Bangalore Midtown led by its president Ravi Nedungadi became the lead club and soon 15 more clubs joined. Forty sets of screening kits comprising a glucometer, 500 strips, lancets, alcohol swabs, a digital BP meter, digital weighing scale, a stature meter to measure the height and 500 health cards with Rotary logo were given to every Mercy Booth for checking patients. Each booth is manned by four health workers chosen from the community and trained to use these instruments.
The screening began on Nov 9 at these 40 booths and those above 40 years with comorbidities such as obesity, asthma, diabetes and hereditary conditions were given prominence. Many Rotarians also volunteer in the screening process. Dr Sumukh hosted a webinar to provide useful information on diabetes for Rotarians and public. Pamphlets in English and Kannada on diabetes and hypertension are being distributed to people visiting the clinics.
“The Anns of Rotary Midtown collected funds to provide diabetes and BP medicines for 500 senior citizens for three months. Rotary Brigades president Ashwany Kinger has also arranged for free medicines to needy people at the fever clinics,” said Jayaraman.
Until Nov 15, 6,000 people have been screened. “Last year we had screened 5,000 people,” he said.
