VIJAYAWADA: AP has secured the top national rank for its awareness campaigns conducted on the World Hypertension Day 2025.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced the recognition, which was confirmed by State Health Commissioner Veerapandian.

World Hypertension Day is observed annually on May 17, with states across India organising awareness drives in different formats. For the first time, the Union Ministry issued detailed guidelines last year, outlining month-long awareness activities from May 17 to June 16 to educate the public about hypertension.

Following these guidelines, Andhra Pradesh rolled out a wide range of programmes across all districts.

These included folk songs, short films, Burrakatha performances, rallies, medical camps, student competitions, and public lectures. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Health Minister Y Sathya Kumar Yadav actively participated, with the minister himself attending a medical camp to encourage public engagement.

All states submitted digital reports of their activities to the Union Ministry, which were reviewed by a specially constituted expert committee. Based on this evaluation, AP and Karnataka were jointly awarded the first rank for their exemplary efforts, said Shyamala, Officer for NCDs Monitoring.