TIRUCHY: From June 4, all 84 primary health centres (PHCs) in the district, including those under the corporation, will launch structured screening for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a progressive lung condition often under-diagnosed in its early stages.
The initiative, which is part of the COPD control programme announced recently in the state Assembly by Health Minister Ma Subramanian, aims to enable early identification of cases and ensure timely referral to specialists.
It is also part of efforts, to maintain through the PHCs, a digital registry integrated with the Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam (MTM) portal, supporting both long-term treatment and preparedness during respiratory outbreaks.
Under the new programme, adults above 35 years presenting with symptoms such as chronic cough (lasting more than eight weeks), sputum production and breathlessness, and particularly with a history of smoking, indoor biomass fuel use and dust-heavy occupations, will be screened for COPD at PHCs. If needed, they will be referred to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH).
“All PHCs in Tiruchy have been mapped to the MGMGH, the district’s only public facility equipped with spirometry,” said a senior official from the District Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Cell. Spirometry lung function test costing Rs 500- Rs1,000 in private hospitals is essential for confirming COPD diagnosis.
“Once diagnosed, patients will begin treatment at the Chest and Thoracic Medicine department at the hospital. Monthly follow-up care, including medication, will be managed through the patient’s local PHC,” said District Health Officer VC Hemchand Gandhi.
Further, MTM volunteers conducting home visits have been instructed to flag individuals with persistent respiratory symptoms and inform nearby PHCs. Health officials, however, clarified that this is not a door-to-door screening drive.
“All eligible individuals should not wait for outreach. If one experiences symptoms or falls in a high risk group, they must visit the local PHC,” a senior health official said.
Pointing out asthma and COPD start for different reasons, a pulmonologist at MGMGH said the former is usually caused by allergies while COPD is often due to smoking or breathing in pollution. “The new registry will help doctors tell them apart more easily and treat patients better,” the specialist added.