• Sandipana Pati, Marjan van den Akker, F François G Schellevis, Krushna Chandra Sahoo, and Jako S Burgers.
• Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Odisha, Orissa State Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Bhubaneswar, India.
• Fam Pract. 2023 Dec 22; 40 (5-6): 714721714-721.

BackgroundDiabetes patients with comorbidities need regular and comprehensive care for their disease management. Hence, it is essential to assess the primary care preparedness for managing diabetes patients and the perspectives of the diabetes patients on the care received at the primary care facilities.MethodsAll 21 Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) in Bhubaneswar city of Odisha, India, were assessed using the modified Primary Care Evaluation Tool and WHO Package of Essential Non-communicable disease interventions questionnaire. Additionally, 21 diabetes patients with comorbidities were interviewed in-depth to explore their perception of the care received at the primary care facilities.ResultsAll the UPHCs had provisions to meet the basic requirements for the management of diabetes and common comorbidities like hypertension. There were few provisions for chronic kidney illness, cardiovascular disease, mental health, and cancer. Diabetes patients felt that frequent change in primary care physicians at the primary care facilities affected their continuity of care. Easy accessibility, availability of free medicines, and provisions of basic laboratory tests at the facilities were felt to be necessary by the diabetes patients.ConclusionOur study highlights the existing gaps in India's healthcare system preparedness and the needs of diabetes patients with comorbidity. The government of India's Health and Wellness (HWC) scheme aims to deliver comprehensive healthcare to the population and provide holistic care at the primary care level for NCD patients. It is imperative that there is an early implementation of the various components of the HWC scheme to provide optimal care to diabetes patients.© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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