PMO meet to review policy on non-communicable diseases

NEW DELHI: India's tremendous burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like stroke, cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases have now reached Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's doorstep.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has called a meeting of the health ministry and the Planning Commission on Monday to review policies on NCDs and thrash out what needs to be done to lower the country's NCD prevalence.

After the United Nations summit on HIV in 2001, that made the entire world come together to fight the deadly AIDS causing virus, this September, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are all set to receive a similar push in New York.

To be attended by the who's who, including Singh, the UN General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of NCDs on September 19 will decide how to better prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes, which together are responsible for eight million deaths worldwide, annually.

Prior to this UN meeting, the first global ministerial conference on NCDs is being held in Moscow on April 28 which will be attended by health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

The conference will highlight the magnitude and socio-economic impact of NCDs, review international experience on NCD prevention and control and provide evidence on the pressing need to strengthen global and national initiatives to prevent NCDs.

NCDs caused 54.66 lakh deaths in 2005 — 53% of the total deaths in India and is now the country's main worry. The leading cause of deaths in India among NCDs is due to cardiovascular disease (29.89 lakh), diabetes (1.75 lakh), cancer (5 lakh) and respiratory diseases (6.74 lakh).

According to WHO, cardiovascular diseases will be the largest cause of death and disability in India by 2020. It is estimated that the overall prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, Ischemic Heart Diseases (IHD) and stroke is 62.47, 159.46, 37.00 and 1.54 respectively per 1000 population of India. Additionally, there are around 25 lakh cancer cases in India.

Source: TOI