Health Minister Ma. Subramanian.
| Photo Credit: M. SRINATH

Expanding the workplace-based, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) screening programme, the Health Department on Thursday rolled out the initiative to cover 7,750 small business enterprises and offices targeting nearly 6 lakh employees across the State. Health Minister Ma. Subramanian launched the initiative, which was one of the 118 announcements made in the Health Budget 2025-2026, at an establishment in Guindy Industrial Estate.

He told reporters that the Thozhilalargal Thedi Maruthuvam, which was rolled out in January 2024 to cover nearly 8.35 lakh employees in 711 factories, has so far screened 3,90,111 people.

Of them, 30,506 were newly diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, or both. Apart from them, 12,468 people, who were already diagnosed with NCDs, continued to receive care under the initiative. The aim was to conduct camps at the workplaces to ensure that working men and women were screened for NCDs.

In a bid to expand this programme, the department announced that employees of all small business enterprises will be screened for NCDs. In the first phase, the department aims to cover nearly 6 lakh employees in 7,750 small enterprises and offices that include the information technology sector and commercial establishments’ employees, he added.

Meanwhile, a total of 2,34,88,431 people have so far benefited under Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam, the State government’s flagship scheme to take healthcare to the doorsteps of people that was launched in 2021. In Chennai alone, 25,92,103 people have benefited under the scheme.

MP (Chennai South) Thamizhachi Thangapandian, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine T.S. Selvavinayagam and officials of the Greater Chennai Corporation were present.