Tamil Nadu spends more on NCD drugs after the Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam scheme was introduced, says Health Secretary

Tamil Nadu's spending on drugs for NCDs triples after the introduction of the MTM scheme, leading to increased budget allocation.

Tamil Nadu’s spending on drugs for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) has nearly tripled after the introduction of the Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam (MTM) scheme, Health Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi said on Friday.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Kalaignar Centenary International Medical Conference on the ‘Future of Medicine’, he attributed the increase in the NCD drug expenditure to the identification of the hidden NCD cases. MTM was launched in August 2021.

According to the official, in 2020-21, the NCD drugs budget, for both urban and rural, was ₹35 crore. In the following year, it was ₹52 crore. During 2022-23, the budget was ₹90.10 crore.

There is a substantial increase in the allocation of resources, both from the National Health Mission (NHM) and the State budget, for the implementation of MTM. The NCD drugs budget, supported by the NHM, for treating patients with hypertension and diabetes stood at about ₹35 crore before MTM was introduced during 2020-21. It increased to ₹90.10 crore during 2023, not to mention the proportionate additional allocation from the State budget, the official said.

Through MTM, a pioneering scheme, women health volunteers take up household visits to screen persons for diabetes and hypertension, and bring those diagnosed with these conditions into the medicinal fold, he said. As of January 18, more than one crore beneficiaries have availed themselves of the first-time services and more than 3.7 crore beneficiaries continue to benefit from repeat services under MTM.

Mr. Bedi added that another scheme, Innuyir Kappom-Nammai Kaakkum 48, under which the State government funds treatment of persons injured in road accidents for the first 48 hours up to ₹1 lakh, has helped in gradual reduction in the number of deaths due to road accidents.