High blood pressure is directly responsible for 57% of all stroke deaths and 24% of deaths from coronary artery disease (heart attacks and related diseases of the heart) in India. The WHO ranks Hypertension as one of the most important causes of premature death worldwide.

These deaths can be prevented substantially by increased control of high blood pressure with lifestyle modifications and medicines. The control rate for Hypertension in India is an abysmal 20% for urban Indians and an even more dismal 10% for rural Indians1. Most industrialized countries have achieved control rates higher than 50%, leading to downstream prevention of heart attacks, strokes and other related diseases.

SEHAT believes that lack of timely diagnosis and education are the primary barriers to effective Hypertension control in India. A community health worker led approach can address both those issues effectively, as she can carry out population wide screening (independent of economic well-being) and being of the same community and background, she can effectively educate and counsel people, in terms that they can relate to and understand