Chennai: Over the past six months, more than 18 lakh people underwent health screening at the 1,256 camps organised under the ‘Nalam Kakkum Stalin’ scheme across TN, and at least 7 lakh people were referred for further treatment for cataract, heart diseases, renal disease, and tuberculosis, health minister Ma Subramanian said on Saturday.During these camps, doctors diagnosed more than 4.28 lakh new cases of hypertension and more than 1.5 lakh new cases of diabetes, he said. Beyond routine screenings, the camps, which offered consultations across 17 medical specialities, including neurology, gynaecology, cardiology, and oncology, identified 222 new cancer cases, 595 cases of tuberculosis, more than 46,000 patients with kidney diseases, more than 1,600 patients with cardiovascular issues, and more than 66,000 with anaemia, Subramanian said.Chief minister M K Stalin launched the scheme in Aug 2025 to identify and treat non-communicable and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiac issues, and cancer, at early stages before they required advanced or emergency intervention. “By 7pm on Friday, we completed the 1,256 camps in rural blocks and densely populated cities ahead of the deadline,” Subramanian told reporters.More than 8,400 people diagnosed with cataracts underwent corrective surgery, he added. The initiative also functioned as a vehicle to expand the state’s social safety net, targeting marginalised people. More than 2.7 lakh unorganised labourers and 96,000 sanitation workers were among the 18 lakh beneficiaries, he said. Officials issued 50,000 cards under the CM’s Comprehensive Health Insurance scheme and provided disability certificates and assistance to more than 60,000 persons with disabilities. Highlighting other schemes, he said at least 2.8 crore people benefited from ‘Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam’ scheme.
