LAHORE:Punjab Caretaker Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Dr. Jamal Nasir has inaugurated the Expanded Integrated Diabetes-Hypertension Care Project (EIDHCP) in the province.
According to the P&SHD spokesperson on Thursday, the program is including Foot-care and it has been launched in 171 Rural Health Centers (RHCs) situated in 20 districts of Punjab.
The programme is being implemented by National Communicable Diseases Control Programme (NCDCP) and P&SHD in collaboration with Association for Social Development (ASD).
On the occasion, the minister said that the foot-care and suitable footwear intervention would help preventing foot complications besides better managing any severe foot condition if it happened in diabetes patients. He informed that 20 district headquarters hospitals (DHQs) in the province would also be enabled for secondary level diabetes foot-care under this programme. The project is being executed in districts Jhelum, Khushab, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Jhang, Khanewal, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Okara, Attock, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Narowal, Multan, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Chiniot and Mandi Bahauddin, the minister said.
Dr. Jamal Nasir advised the diabetic patients to take as much care of their feet as do they care for their face. He said that necessary consultation along with medical facilities would be provided to the diabetes patients for foot-care at these RHCs besides arrangements for access to appropriate footwear centers. He said that diabetes and blood pressure diseases could be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Diabetes patients could lead a healthy life by walking and taking exercise regularly, the minister said.
Director General Health Services, Punjab Dr. Ilyas Gondal, Dr. Shaheer Elahi of Islamabad Healthcare Academy, Professional Association for Social Development Chief Coordinator Dr. Muhammad Aamir Khan and others attended the launching ceremony.