How India's NP-NCD Program Reduces Monthly Health Expenses

Many people say, “Monthly tests, medicines… expenses increase a lot.”

But have you ever used the Indian government’s NP-NCD program?

This program is free and available to everyone, helping reduce many health-related expenses.

What exactly is NP-NCD?

1. Started in 2008 2. A free-care program for chronic diseases 3. Available at PHC, UPHC, and district hospitals 4. Provides free screening, tests, and medicines for diseases like Diabetes, Blood Pressure, Heart disease, and Cancer.

What do you get for free?

1. Tests: Blood Sugar (RBS/FBS), Blood Pressure, BMI, Waist measurement, Lipid profile (available at many district hospitals), and Cancer screening.

2. Medicines: - Metformin, Glimepiride - Amlodipine, Telmisartan, Atenolol - Statins (to reduce Cholesterol) - Aspirin/Clopidogrel (in some places)

These medicines are high quality and completely safe, following WHO protocols.

3. How is your record kept? - You get an NP-NCD Health ID/card - Each visit records your Sugar, Blood Pressure, medicines, and trends in one place - This continuity is very important for doctors during follow-ups

4. How to use this with your regular doctor? - Routine tests and basic medicines from the government reduce your overall expenses - Specialists provide advanced guidance, report evaluation, and complication prevention - Together, this Hybrid Model is the best model

Benefits for patients: lower expenses and better care quality.

This program should be used not only by rural people but also by urban residents!

UPHC centers in urban areas are very systematic. There are fewer queues, organized data, and medicines available, but people do not go.

The truth is healthcare is not expensive. People feel it is expensive because they do not use the available resources.

The Indian government officially calls this NPCDCS: National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke.

Please share this information. Forward it. Send it in WhatsApp groups.

If even one patient whose monthly expenses are 2–3 thousand uses this, their costs will reduce.

Your help can literally save lives.

Those who are financially well-off or urban residents may not realize its importance, but employees, poor urban populations, and rural brothers and sisters definitely need this information. Help them get the card or spread the word.

Dr Ravindra L. Kulkarni, MD, DNB, FSCAI (Cardiology) Just For Hearts