BENGALURU: Starting January, each household in Karnataka will be screened for mental health issues, hypertension and diabetes, with a focus on individuals aged 13 and above, as part of the Gruha Arogya programme, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao announced on Friday.
Speaking at DemCon’24, two-day international conference conducted by Dementia India Alliance (DIA), Dinesh mentioned that trained health workers will visit households across the state to carry out the screenings to ensure that people diagnosed with hypertension or diabetes receive continuous medication, as many patients, particularly in rural areas, often stop taking their prescribed treatments after a short time.
In addition to screening for hypertension and diabetes, the programme will also address mental health concerns. Dinesh explained that mental health issues like depression are often overlooked in rural areas, where conditions such as memory loss are commonly misunderstood.
As part of the initiative, health workers are being trained to identify early signs of mental health problems and provide necessary support, ensuring that individuals receive the care they need.
Gruha Arogya, which was initiated in the Kolar district on a pilot basis, has already seen nearly 30,000 patients across the state visit clinics for screenings, Dinesh emphasised, highlighting the importance of raising awareness and training local health workers who regularly visit rural areas, helping them recognise and address health issues at an early stage.