BMC begins free diabetes testing at Sion Hospital

Mumbai : Citizens of Mumbai can now get tested for diabetes, for free, at the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) corner at the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital or Sion Hospital. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has undertaken the initiative to gauge the health parameters of the city’s population and plans to open similar centres at other civic hospitals too. “This is being done for the first time where outsiders can voluntarily undergo a test for diabetes. We are also inviting patients and their kin who visit the hospital to take the tests,” said Dr Mohan Joshi, dean of Sion Hospital. The NCD corner at Sion Hospital began functioning in August. The hospital is near Dharavi, Asia’s biggest slum, which has a high prevalence of diabetes. “So, slum dwellers who cannot afford expensive tests can just come to the NCD centre and take the test,” Dr Joshi added. The BMC now plans to open a similar centre at KEM Hospital, the biggest civic-run hospital in Mumbai. The civic health department, which currently lacks a database to map the prevalence of the non-communicable disease in Mumbai, is hoping to collect data by starting such centres at major civic hospitals, helping it formulate better health policies.