The Government of India launched a flagship programme called the NHM in 2005 with the objective of expanding access to quality health care to rural populations by undertaking architectural corrections in the institutional mechanism for health care delivery.

The NPCDCS aims at integration of NCD interventions in the NHM framework for optimization of scarce resources and provision of seamless services to the end customer / patients as also for ensuring long term sustainability of interventions. Thus, the institutionalization of NPCDCS at district level within the District Health Society, sharing administrative and financial structure of NHM becomes a crucial programme strategy for NPCDCS.

The NCD Cell at various levels will ensure implementation and supervision of the programme activities related to health promotion, early diagnosis, treatment and referral, and further facilitates partnership with laboratories for early diagnosis in the private sector. Simultaneously, it will attempt to create a wider knowledge base in the community for effective prevention, detection, referrals and treatment strategies through convergence / linkage with the ongoing interventions.

States implementing NPCDCS have already initiated some of the activities for prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) especially cancer, diabetes, CVDs and stroke. The Central Government is supplementing their efforts by providing technical, financial and logistics support through National Program for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, CVD and Stroke (NPCDCS).

Objectives

• Health promotion through behavior change with involvement of community, civil society, community based organizations, media, etc.
• Opportunistic screening at all levels in the health care delivery system from sub-centre and above for early detection of diabetes, hypertension and common cancers. Outreach camps are also envisaged.
• To prevent and control chronic Non-Communicable Diseases, especially Cancer, Diabetes, CVDs and Stroke.
• To build capacity at various levels of health care for prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, IEC/BCC, operational research and rehabilitation.
• To support for diagnosis and cost effective treatment at primary, secondary and tertiary levels of health care.
• To support for development of database of NCDs through Surveillance System and to monitor NCD morbidity and mortality and risk factors.