Nov 14 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
`Diabetes could rob India of demographic dividend'
DurgeshNandan Jha
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New Delhi:
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The medical community has warned against serious financial implications from diabetes if the country does not act fast to tackle the spread of the disease. At about 65 million, India has the second highest number of diabetics in the world after China.Previously considered a disease of the affluent, diabetes has spread fast among the rural poor too, thanks to unhealthy diet and reduced physical activity. On the eve of World Diabetes Day on Thursday, experts said it is important to create awareness about preventive measures and provide support for regular screening of people at risk of developing the condition.
“The government needs to revisit its health promotion strategies for non-communicable diseases to increase awareness about simple and effective lifestyle changes, such as physical activity and healthy diet. Healthy food should be made available at affordable rates to make healthy choice an easy choice,“ WHO regional director Poonam Khetrapal Singh said. She said creating easy access to early diagnosis and management of diabetes is also required.
According to Dr Sujeet Jha, who heads the Institute of Endocrinology , Diabetes and Metabolism at Max hospital Saket, most patients get to know about the disease when it has already started affecting organs like the heart and kidney . “Regular health screening, particularly among the elderly and those at high risk is essential for early diagnosis,“ he said.
The Public Health Founda tion of India (PHFI), concluded in in a recent study that non-communicable diseases, mainly diabetes and heart diseases, affect people in their productive years. “They cause reduced productivity and early retirement. Also, they put immense pressure on public health expenditure as in most cases the treatment costs are higher compared to communicable diseases,“ said a senior doctor at PHFI.
He said the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases could rob India of the `demographic dividend' it is projected to reap on account of a predominantly young population. A recent report published by IRIS Knowledge Foundation in collaboration with UN-HABITAT states that by 2020, India is set to become the world's youngest country with 64% of its population in the working age group.
“The government needs to revisit its health promotion strategies for non-communicable diseases to increase awareness about simple and effective lifestyle changes, such as physical activity and healthy diet. Healthy food should be made available at affordable rates to make healthy choice an easy choice,“ WHO regional director Poonam Khetrapal Singh said. She said creating easy access to early diagnosis and management of diabetes is also required.
According to Dr Sujeet Jha, who heads the Institute of Endocrinology , Diabetes and Metabolism at Max hospital Saket, most patients get to know about the disease when it has already started affecting organs like the heart and kidney . “Regular health screening, particularly among the elderly and those at high risk is essential for early diagnosis,“ he said.
The Public Health Founda tion of India (PHFI), concluded in in a recent study that non-communicable diseases, mainly diabetes and heart diseases, affect people in their productive years. “They cause reduced productivity and early retirement. Also, they put immense pressure on public health expenditure as in most cases the treatment costs are higher compared to communicable diseases,“ said a senior doctor at PHFI.
He said the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases could rob India of the `demographic dividend' it is projected to reap on account of a predominantly young population. A recent report published by IRIS Knowledge Foundation in collaboration with UN-HABITAT states that by 2020, India is set to become the world's youngest country with 64% of its population in the working age group.
