Non Communicable Diseases in India

Published on 13 Feb 2025

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are non-infectious (cannot spread from person to person), long-term diseases that occur due to a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioural factors. India has 101 million people with diabetes, 315 million with high BP, 14.6 lakh with cancer and, indicating the NCD prevalence (ICMR Study).

Reasons for increased NCDs in India

✔     Change in Lifestyle: Increased consumption of processed foods, sedentary behaviour and decline in physical activity have led to rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

●      Example: 8,30,000 deaths annually can be attributed to insufficient physical activity (NCBI).

✔     Tobacco use: High rates of tobacco usage, both smoking and smokeless forms contribute to an increased risk of tracheal, bronchus, oral and lung cancers and liver diseases.

●      Example: The use of smokeless tobacco is associated with a high prevalence of oral cancer in India and almost 90% of these oral cancers are linked to tobacco use. (MoHFW)

✔     Genetics: This factor plays a role in the development of certain NCDs like diabetes and obesity.

●      Example: Based on research in Chennai, a child whose both parents have diabetes has 55% more chance of having diabetes.

✔     Stress: Modern lifestyle leads to high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression which are linked to the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

●      Example: According to the India Fit Report 22-23, 24% Indians are over-stressed, which increases the cortisol, thus increasing the chances of heart diseases.

✔     Unhealthy diet: Increased consumption of processed foods, high in salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats put people at high risk of diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancers.

●      Example: According to WHO, 1.8 million annual deaths have been attributed to excess salt/sodium intake.

✔     Poor healthcare Infrastructure: Limited access to healthcare infrastructure in rural areas, resulting in delayed diagnosis and treatment of NCDs.

Impact of NCDs on society

✔     High burden of NCDs: India is experiencing a rising burden of morbidity and mortality due to conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular and respiratory disorders.

●      Example: According to WHO, over 60.46 lakh people died due to NCDs in India in 2019.

✔     Economic impact: The management of NCDs requires long term medical care, medications and lifestyle modifications, causing financial stress for the individual and the state.

●      Example: According to EY India, The economic burden due to cancer on the Indian economy is around $11 billion and is expected to reach around $40 billion by 2030.

✔     Reduce life expectancy: People get prone to NCDs at a younger age and the increase in NCD related death counts reduce the average life expectancy of Indians.

●      Example: According to WHO, of the NCD related deaths in India, 22% have been premature.

✔     Overload the health infrastructure: India has shortage in terms of health professionals and infrastructure. Increase in lifestyle diseases and associated medical care can strain the health sector.

●      Example: NCDs account for nearly 40% of hospital stays in India.

✔     Impact on mental health: The diagnosis, physical symptoms and management of NCDs can be stressful, leading to anxiety and depression.

●      Example: Among people suffering from NCDs, 49% and 55% were found to suffer from anxiety and stress respectively (NCBI).

Government initiatives to address NCDs

✔     National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke: Aims to prevent and control major NCDs by promoting healthy lifestyles, early diagnosis and management.

✔     Strengthening of Tertiary Care Cancer facilities scheme: To support the setting up of State Cancer Institute (SCI) and Tertiary Care Cancer Centres(TCCC) in different parts of the country .

✔     Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY: Includes treatment of cancers, thus reducing the financial burden on the poor.

✔     Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) Deendayal: Aims to make available cancer and cardiovascular diseases drugs and implants at discounted prices to the patients.

✔     Eat Right Movement: By FSSAI, to make dietary changes to reduce the occurrence of non-communicable diseases.

Way Forward

✔     Healthy diet: Avoid canned foods and excessive salt, taking fibre rich foods helps in controlling hypertension. A healthy and balanced diet is also vital for overall body health.

✔     Regular Exercise and Meditation: Regular and adequate levels of physical activity reduce the risk of anxiety, heart diseases, stroke and several cancers.

✔     Adequate sleep: 6 to 8 hours of sleep is a must for a healthy body to function.

✔     Avoiding tobacco and alcohol: Helps to prevent chronic liver diseases, cancers and other NCDs.

✔     Genetic Counselling: A remarkable way to identify genetic diseases in an unborn child. Genetic counselling along with genetic therapy is the only way to prevent genetic disorders as most of them do not have a complete cure.

Thus, India has been taking up initiatives to address the threat of non-communicable diseases. However, the efforts need to be expanded to aid the nation attain the WHO target of 25% reduction in NCD induced premature mortality by 2025.

Tags:
Social Justice

Keywords:
Non Communicable Diseases

Syllabus:
General Studies Paper 2

Topics:
Social Justice