Govt alone can't reverse NCD epidemic: Azad

New Delhi, Sep 28 (PTI) Indian Government Wednesday said
it was not its responsibility alone to reverse the epidemic of
Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and asked the corporate
sector and civil society to help tackle them.
"Reversing the epidemic of NCDs is not only the
responsibility of government alone but requires engagement
from all, particularly civil society and the corporate
sector," said Indian Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam
Nabi Azad while inaugurating the International Heart
Protection Summit here.
Azad said "civil society institutions and businesses are
uniquely placed to mobilize awareness toward supporting NCD
prevention and control. They can play a key role in advocacy,
capacity-building and filling gaps in service provision."
Expressing grave concern over the increasing burden of
NCDs, Azad called for building coalitions and alliances in
multiple sectors through shared vision, pooled resources and
greater harmonization of action among key stakeholders to
effectively deal with NCDs.
The Minister noted that the World Health Report of 2002
says cardio-vascular diseases (CVD) will be the biggest cause
of death and disability in India by 2020.
"The rise in the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and
the resultant stress on our health system is an area of
concern for all of us and primordial prevention could go a
long way in decreasing the burden of CVDs in India," Azad
said.
He also urged the medical fraternity to discuss how to
optimise prevention and management of CVDs and make the two
national NCDs programmes of the government more effective.
The minister said diabetes is often associated with heart
diseases and there are an estimated 50 million diabetics in
India at present and the number is likely to increase to 80
million by the year 2030.
Citing a WHO report of 2005, Azad said the estimated
income loss due to diabetes, stroke and heart diseases was 8.7
billion dollars in 2005 and is projected to be about 54
billion dollars in 2015.
"It has been estimated that the total economic cost of the
3 tobacco related diseases (cardio vascular diseases, cancer &
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases) in India is Rs. 27,760
crores (6034 million USD) per year", he added.
Azad said changing lifestyle patterns, including an
increase in fat and sugar consumption, reduced physical
activity resulting in an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and
increasing use of alcohol and tobacco use have resulted in the
increase of cardiovascular diseases like arteriosclerosis,
coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, heart failure,
hypertension and congenital heart disease.
Azad said India has been ahead of other countries in its
response to the NCDs.
He said the "National Programme for Prevention & Control
of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardio Vascular Diseases (CVDs) and
Stroke (NPCDCS)" and "National Programme for Health Care of
Elderly (NPHCE)" launched at a cost of Rs 1,275 crore and
have been taken up for implementation as a pilot project in
100 most backward districts in 21 States during 2011-12.
A target to screen 150-200 million people by March next
year has been kept under this pilot project, the largest such
exercise attempted anywhere in the world.