By Sonali Maheshwari
While communicable diseases persist as a significant threat, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have emerged as the predominant public health concern. And The fact is that NCD-led deaths are largely preventable, proverb i.e. “Prevention is better than cure” becomes even more important in today’s time. Prevention strategies are not only effective for those who don’t have NCDs, but also for mitigating and reducing the burden of various NCDs and the risk of developing co-morbidities alongside existing illness.
The term “NCD” can cover a range of diseases, however the chief of them is four NCDs – cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and stroke), cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases – along with mental health, account for a very high proportion of deaths and ill health. And at least half of the world’s population does not have full coverage of essential health services. Health expenses push more than 100 million people into extreme poverty each and every year.
Also Read Bumps on the road: New BoT terms for highway construction may throw pvt investors into risk-aversion mode Friends in need: India and South Korea are strengthening ties as geopolitical insecurity grows in the Indo-Pacific Essentials for an effective AI mould for India The MV Ruen Episode: Payoffs from Investing in Naval and Air Power In total, 41 million people – 74% of all deaths – die of an NCD each year. Many millions more are living with at least one NCD, which can reduce quality of life for years. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report titled ‘Invisible Numbers’, a staggering 66% of deaths in India in 2019 were attributed to NCDs. The report also suggests that 22% of individuals aged 30 or older in India would succumb to NCDs before their 70th birthday, surpassing the global probability of 18%.
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There has been an increase in heart attack deaths over the past three years, possibly linked to the lasting effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in India. Recent data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) indicates a 12.5% increase in heart attack cases in 2022 alone. And recent report (2023) has dubbed India as Cancer capital in the world wherein the incidence is significantly younger in India compared to the western countries. And it also states that NCDs were responsible for maximum out-of-pocket expenditure in India.
On the other hand India is experiencing rapid population growth and globally having the largest youth population. Youth offers both workforce as well as a market while driving economic growth and reducing poverty. But to unleash the benefits of the demographic dividend, nations invest in the health and well-being of their people to build human capital and boost inclusive growth.
This year’s theme for the World Health Day ‘My health, my right’ highlights that getting access to essential health services should no longer be a privilege but one’s right. And fuels more momentum to the Universal Health Coverage movement which guarantees that everyone has access to quality, essential health services while ensuring that every individual enjoys their fundamental human rights. Altogether it is a call towards making the strongest asset: human capital.
With no one-size-fits-all approach India must explore its own tailor-made solutions and therefore understanding the risk factors associated with NCDs is paramount for devising effective prevention and control strategies tailored to India’s unique context.
It’s true that NCD-led deaths are largely preventable, and the solution lies in the choices we make in our daily lives. However, it isn’t that simple. Doing what is right for our health does not depend only on our individual choices, on our desire to be healthy, or on knowledge of what is good for us. Instead, our behaviour is strongly influenced by social, cultural and environmental factors (where we live, learn, work and play) and commercial factors (the impact of the worlds of work, commerce and industry on daily life). Plus, access to health services is no less important. Without access to timely screening, diagnosis and treatment for NCDs, lives are unnecessarily impacted or lost, and catastrophic spending on health conditions such as NCDs regularly pushes people into poverty.
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To address it holistically more political and administrative will is needed. All the policy makers, stakeholders in the decision-making process must proactively see the cost of inaction and use their positions of power to increase the visibility of NCDs and strategies to address the burden. Policies and plans made shall be inclusive and addressing the existing inequity, especially faced by lower-income groups, mainly related to access to treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care.
Since NCDs not only affect health, but also productivity and economic growth and therefore NCD policies have very significant returns on investment so more planned financial resources should be prioritized for them.
More focus on making the health care delivery / response system stronger especially in the context of NCD related prevention, early detection and treatment, ensuring that everyone can access services for screening, diagnosis and management. These NCD services should be included in any kind of basic benefits package for universal health coverage / national programs.
Accelerating the efforts towards improving the NCD related knowledge and awareness level in the communities especially around the importance of early diagnosis and treatment / management. Also the related myths need to be addressed like NCD can only happen to wealthy groups etc.
A critical part will be multisectoral and intersectoral cooperation wherein collaboration among the public sector, private sector, and civil society is needed to combat NCDs. This shall direct determined and coordinated effort for broad based population wide initiatives across all sectors to deliver genuine and needed shift / change.
Last but not the least, as we have seen during Covid that front line health care providers are most stressed line of care takers because of multiple reasons and challenges such as dissatisfaction, burnout, high rates of depression together with hazards of workplace including climate change. These problems are not only associated with suboptimal patient care, lower patient satisfaction, decreased access to care, and increased healthcare costs but also contributes in NCD numbers which they themselves suffer with. Hence robust measures of well-being, engaging front line health care providers in reflection and conversation about promoting it in their workplace, with a meaningful outcome, and making changes to enhance its realization, should also be focused along with job related training programs.
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While the spectre of NCDs presents a challenge, the good news is it is never too late to invest in health. And supporting health represents a foundational investment in human capital and in economic growth.
The writer is a social development professional with two decades of professional experience. Being strategy and program specialist she has extensive experience in curating and leading behavior change and policy shaping interventions, focusing developmental themes such as Women Empowerment, Adolescent & Youth Development, Gender Equality, Child Safety, Public Health, Worker Wellbeing.
Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of Financial Express Online. Reproducing this content without permission is prohibited.
By Sonali Maheshwari
While communicable diseases persist as a significant threat, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have emerged as the predominant public health concern. And The fact is that NCD-led deaths are largely preventable, proverb i.e. “Prevention is better than cure” becomes even more important in today’s time. Prevention strategies are not only effective for those who don’t have NCDs, but also for mitigating and reducing the burden of various NCDs and the risk of developing co-morbidities alongside existing illness.
The term “NCD” can cover a range of diseases, however the chief of them is four NCDs – cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and stroke), cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases – along with mental health, account for a very high proportion of deaths and ill health. And at least half of the world’s population does not have full coverage of essential health services. Health expenses push more than 100 million people into extreme poverty each and every year.
In total, 41 million people – 74% of all deaths – die of an NCD each year. Many millions more are living with at least one NCD, which can reduce quality of life for years. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report titled ‘Invisible Numbers’, a staggering 66% of deaths in India in 2019 were attributed to NCDs. The report also suggests that 22% of individuals aged 30 or older in India would succumb to NCDs before their 70th birthday, surpassing the global probability of 18%.
There has been an increase in heart attack deaths over the past three years, possibly linked to the lasting effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in India. Recent data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) indicates a 12.5% increase in heart attack cases in 2022 alone. And recent report (2023) has dubbed India as Cancer capital in the world wherein the incidence is significantly younger in India compared to the western countries. And it also states that NCDs were responsible for maximum out-of-pocket expenditure in India.
On the other hand India is experiencing rapid population growth and globally having the largest youth population. Youth offers both workforce as well as a market while driving economic growth and reducing poverty. But to unleash the benefits of the demographic dividend, nations invest in the health and well-being of their people to build human capital and boost inclusive growth.
This year’s theme for the World Health Day ‘My health, my right’ highlights that getting access to essential health services should no longer be a privilege but one’s right. And fuels more momentum to the Universal Health Coverage movement which guarantees that everyone has access to quality, essential health services while ensuring that every individual enjoys their fundamental human rights. Altogether it is a call towards making the strongest asset: human capital.
With no one-size-fits-all approach India must explore its own tailor-made solutions and therefore understanding the risk factors associated with NCDs is paramount for devising effective prevention and control strategies tailored to India’s unique context.
It’s true that NCD-led deaths are largely preventable, and the solution lies in the choices we make in our daily lives. However, it isn’t that simple. Doing what is right for our health does not depend only on our individual choices, on our desire to be healthy, or on knowledge of what is good for us. Instead, our behaviour is strongly influenced by social, cultural and environmental factors (where we live, learn, work and play) and commercial factors (the impact of the worlds of work, commerce and industry on daily life). Plus, access to health services is no less important. Without access to timely screening, diagnosis and treatment for NCDs, lives are unnecessarily impacted or lost, and catastrophic spending on health conditions such as NCDs regularly pushes people into poverty.
To address it holistically more political and administrative will is needed. All the policy makers, stakeholders in the decision-making process must proactively see the cost of inaction and use their positions of power to increase the visibility of NCDs and strategies to address the burden. Policies and plans made shall be inclusive and addressing the existing inequity, especially faced by lower-income groups, mainly related to access to treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care.
Since NCDs not only affect health, but also productivity and economic growth and therefore NCD policies have very significant returns on investment so more planned financial resources should be prioritized for them.
More focus on making the health care delivery / response system stronger especially in the context of NCD related prevention, early detection and treatment, ensuring that everyone can access services for screening, diagnosis and management. These NCD services should be included in any kind of basic benefits package for universal health coverage / national programs.
Accelerating the efforts towards improving the NCD related knowledge and awareness level in the communities especially around the importance of early diagnosis and treatment / management. Also the related myths need to be addressed like NCD can only happen to wealthy groups etc.
A critical part will be multisectoral and intersectoral cooperation wherein collaboration among the public sector, private sector, and civil society is needed to combat NCDs. This shall direct determined and coordinated effort for broad based population wide initiatives across all sectors to deliver genuine and needed shift / change.
Last but not the least, as we have seen during Covid that front line health care providers are most stressed line of care takers because of multiple reasons and challenges such as dissatisfaction, burnout, high rates of depression together with hazards of workplace including climate change. These problems are not only associated with suboptimal patient care, lower patient satisfaction, decreased access to care, and increased healthcare costs but also contributes in NCD numbers which they themselves suffer with. Hence robust measures of well-being, engaging front line health care providers in reflection and conversation about promoting it in their workplace, with a meaningful outcome, and making changes to enhance its realization, should also be focused along with job related training programs.
While the spectre of NCDs presents a challenge, the good news is it is never too late to invest in health. And supporting health represents a foundational investment in human capital and in economic growth.
The writer is a social development professional with two decades of professional experience. Being strategy and program specialist she has extensive experience in curating and leading behavior change and policy shaping interventions, focusing developmental themes such as Women Empowerment, Adolescent & Youth Development, Gender Equality, Child Safety, Public Health, Worker Wellbeing.
Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of Financial Express Online. Reproducing this content without permission is prohibited.
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