MMM to raise awareness on hypertension

MMM is a global initiative which aims to screen 25 million individuals, across 100 countries simultaneously in the month of May

Recognising that raised blood pressure (BP) or hypertension is the key contributor to death and the burden of disease worldwide, Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), along with Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and several healthcare institutions launched the May Measurement Month (MMM) 2017, a global campaign to raise awareness of the importance of BP screening to tackle this global epidemic in New Delhi.

MMM is a global initiative which aims to screen 25 million individuals, across 100 countries simultaneously in the month of May, under the aegis of International Society of Hypertension (ISH) and the World Hypertension League (WHL).

In India, the drive will be conducted at over 500 sites across the country aiming to measure 2.5 million people that will contribute to the global cross-sectional survey of men and women aged 18 to 65, who have not had their BP measured ever, or since April 30, 2016.

The Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC), Indian Medical Association (IMA), Army Medical Corps (AMC), Association of Physicians of India (API), Association of Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI), several healthcare institutions and industry are participating in the campaign.

Hospitals, public health departments across various states, healthcare institutions, the national institutes under the ICMR, select Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are among the various screening sites involved in this campaign.

Talking about the campaign, Soumya Swaminathan, Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research said, “It’s a wonderful initiative that we at ICMR are undertaking together with PHFI, global partners like ISH and WHL and a host of key Indian partners, to raise awareness on blood pressure measurement. It is a well-known fact that early detection of hypertension can delay NCDs and improve the quality of life. Through this initiative, we not only aim to raise awareness of public in general, but also inculcate regular BP monitoring amongst physicians, in addition to developing better policy and guidelines to tackle hypertension and NCDs in India.”

Throughout this month, the ISH and WHL together with volunteering countries, governments, and municipal corporations will be working to screen 25 million people. The project is conducted in accordance with all national and international ethics guidelines. The data from each country will be analysed along with the results of millions of others worldwide. The results will be announced once the analysis in complete to form a blueprint action plan to tackle Hypertension globally.