Indian Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI)
- The Indian Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) is a 5-year initiative involving the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Indian Council of Medical Research, state governments, and WHO-India.
- IHCI aims to accelerate progress towards the Government of India’s NCD target by supplementing and intensifying evidence-based strategies to strengthen the building blocks of hypertension management and control.
- The Government of India has adopted the “25 by 25” goal, which aims to reduce premature mortality due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by 25% by 2025. One of the nine voluntary targets includes reducing the prevalence of high BP by 25% by 2025.
- Hypertension is a serious and growing health issue in India today. There are an estimated 20 crore adults with hypertension, of whom approximately 2 crore have it under control.