Govt proposes national programme on NCDs in 12th Plan

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) Indian Government will come out
with a comprehensive programme to tackle non-communicable
diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular ailments
and stroke in the next Plan, Indian Health Minister Ghulam
Nabi Azad said Tuesday.
Inaugurating a two-day National Summit on
Non-Communicable Diseases at Vigyan Bhawan here, Azad voiced
concern on the rising number of those affected by NCDs and
said the programme to prevent and control them is proposed to
be rolled out during the 12th plan period starting 2012
covering all 640 districts of the country.
The programme, he said, will focus on health promotion,
prevention of exposure to risk factors, early diagnosis,
treatment of common non-communicable diseases and
rehabilitation services.
Stressing on the need for a special attention to mental
and neurological disorders, Azad said mental disorders have
been recommended for inclusion in the ambit of key
non-communicable diseases at the Global Ministerial Conference
on Healthy Lifestyles and Non-communicable Disease Control
held in Moscow in April 2011.
He also emphasised on efforts to check rise in heart
diseases, diabetes, chronic obstructive lung disease and
cancer, which accounted for two-third of total disease burden
in India.
The Health Minister said India with an estimated 5.1
crore diabetics has the second largest population of those
affected in the world following China. He feared that unless
effective steps are taken, India may have eight crore
diabetics by the year 2030.
He cautioned that the number of persons affected with
cardio-vascular diseases, which was about 3.8 crore in 2005,
may also go up to 6.4 crore by 2015. The Minister also sougth
for control on consumption of tobacco and sought the support
of Agriculture Ministry for promoting viable alternatives to
tobacco as a commercial crop.
Azad also sought support of Food Processing Industry
Ministry to address the issues of reducing salt and trans-fat
content in processed foods and called for coordinated efforts
by Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Human
Resource Development, and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
to work on establishing nutrition security for all.
In his address, Minister of State for Health & Family
Welfare Sudip Bandyopadhyay said that it is estimated that by
2015 cardiovascular diseases and diabetes alone may reduce
global GDP by 5 per cent. He said economic, physical and
social implications of non-communicable diseases justify
investment for its prevention and management.
Member Planning Commission Syeda Hameed called for
strengthening district health system and ensuring community
participation in prevention and control of non-communicable
diseases.
Secretary, Health & Family Welfare K Chandramouli
underlined the need to strengthen district hospitals for
diagnosis and management of non-communicable diseases,
including rehabilitation and palliative care. He called for
adequate facilities, trained human resources and funds for lab
tests and medicines for management of NCDs there.
The World Health Organisation representative to India,
Nada Manabde, said the policy framework for prevention,
control and universal coverage of NCds in India is needed
along with a multisectoral response to the problem. She said
the WHO strongly supports the efforts of the Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare in this regard.
The two-day Summit has brought together key stakeholders,
policy makers and eminent public health experts who are
deliberating on the current scenario vis–a–vis growing burden
of NCDs to suggest steps in this direction. Heads of states
and governments of all nations would meet at a UN high-level
Summit on NCDs in New York next month.