Mumbai: New protocol to combat BP

To combat the chronic non-communicable disease of hypertension, the BMC will roll out a new treatment protocol called ‘Fixed Drug Combination' (FDC). The treatment involves a single pill containing multiple drugs. The protocol is meant for BMC's clinics and hospitals and aims to improve adherence to the course by patients.

The BMC will also be roping in community health volunteers and ASHA workers to counsel patients.

One out of every four people in Mumbai is suffering from hypertension, and one out of every five people is suffering from diabetes. People suffering from such diseases are always at risk of getting other diseases, and mortality among such groups is also high.

According to the BMC, many patients require more than one pill which is not enough to treat BP. Representation pic

Mumbai has already witnessed high mortality among those suffering from diabetes and hypertension during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Dr Sanjeev Kumar said, "As per the earlier protocol, doctors at our clinics and hospitals prescribed a single pill to manage hypertension at the beginning. However, in many cases, a single pill wasn't enough, and the doctor had to prescribe another. Having to consume more than one pill often led to non-adherence to treatment. When the patient takes the medicines on and off, hypertension becomes uncontrollable. In an effort to improve adherence to the treatment, the BMC has devised the FDC where a single pill will have a combination of multiple drugs. We will be purchasing the drug now and providing it to patients at our clinics. We have included it in our schedule list."

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Decision after expert nod

The deputy director of BMC's Health Department and the head for non-communicable diseases (NCD) Dr Daksha Shah said, "Before including the FDC drug in the schedule, we consulted and took the opinion of World Health Organization (WHO), experts from other countries, and experts from the BMC's major hospitals KEM, Nair, and Sion. We have trained more than 200 doctors at civic dispensaries, HBT clinics, and hospitals. A protocol has been made as to whom the FDC should be prescribed. This will help improve patients' adherence to the drug."

Dr Rahul Pandit, chair, Critical Care at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, said, "As long as all the characteristics of the drug are taken into care to make the combination, it is a welcome move

200
Approx. no. of BMC doctors trained to prescribe FDC