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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : November 8, 2013 2:28 PM IST
Non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension should be included in the health surveillance systems of the world, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Thursday.
India can contribute towards critical areas like health financing, health services administration, institutional reforms and appropriate use of available medical technology, Azad said while addressing the third BRICS health ministers' meeting at Cape Town, South Africa.
BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) is an association of five major emerging national economies.
Azad stressed on enhanced cooperation among the BRICS nations, and said the association has emerged as a valuable forum for consultation, coordination and cooperation on contemporary global issues of mutual interest.
India's health minister proposed enhanced cooperation in medical education and training, capacity building, quality healthcare at an affordable cost, biotechnology, drug discovery and development as well as in the development of diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, besides traditional Indian medicine.
The first formal BRICS health ministers' meeting was held in Beijing, China in July, 2011. (Read: Health Ministry to tackle non-communicable diseases)
How non-communicable diseases are hurting the economy?
According to a study done by Harvard School of Public Health, the economic burden due to non-communicable diseases will be about $6.2 trillion for India, from 2012-2030. This amount is almost nine times higher than the total health expenditure for the past 19 years.
So what has brought about these astronomical changes in the numbers? While communicable diseases like polio and malaria are getting under control, there is a rise in cases of diabetes, hypertension, etc in urban India. And no, it is not just restricted to the aged, these diseases are attacking the youth in great numbers. Is our lifestyle to be blamed for this? Sedentary lifestyles, smoking, drinking, unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise. If this is what your routine consists of, then it won't be too long before the symptoms for one or the other disease shows up.
Diabetes galore
According to the World Health Statistics report 2012, 11.1 per cent of the adult male population and 10.8 per cent of the female population have raised fasting blood glucose. Compare it with our neighbouring countries, and barring Pakistan, India has the highest number of diabetics, a whopping 6.1 million and counting.
Obese and how
According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) (2005-06), the latest available on record, 13 per cent of women and nine per cent of men in India are overweight or obese. Dr Ravindran Kumeran, founder trustee at Obesity Foundation India, a non-profit organization working in the sector to promote awareness against obesity, says that the present generation is probably the most sedentary generation of people in the history of the world. No wonder the numbers are getting higher day by day.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a metabolic disease which is characterised by high blood sugar levels. It can be caused either due to the lack of insulin (type 1 diabetes) or because the body's cells fail to respond to the insulin produced (type 2 diabetes). Some of the common symptoms of diabetes are hunger, frequent urination and increased thirst. While type 1 diabetes is usually genetic, type 2 diabetes is caused more by lifestyle factors. It is one of the common 'lifestyle diseases' which is plaguing people in the developed countries and often has a causal link to heart diseases, hypertension and obesity. (Read more..)
With inputs from IANS
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