Preventive healthcare needs to become a national priority: Dr Purohit

Hyderabad, April 11 (Bureau) Preventive healthcare needs to become a national priority, said Dr Naresh Purohit , Principal Investigator for Indian Medical Academy for Preventive Health, here on Tuesday. Over the past 3 decades, non- communicable diseases (NCDs) have become the leading cause of death and suffering, contributing to 65 percent of deaths in India, said Dr Purohit, the noted Epidemiologist. NCDs affect not just health, but also productivity and economic growth, he said the estimated economic burden on India is expected to be about $ 4.8 trillion by 2030, he said. As the youngest and fastest growing major economy in the world, the health of our nation is a critical indicator of our future, and the health of our people will determine how effectively we live up to our full potential.

The best solution to NCDs lies in prevention,” he said after virtually addressing the webinar on “Dangers posed by NCDs” organised by the Hyderabad based Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM) here. The rise in preventive screenings has led to an increase in the diagnosis of early risk factors like obesity and dyslipidemia (cholesterol irregularities) among Indians across age groups, Dr Purohit told UNI here. “These are indications of the potential onset of chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension and a wake-up call for individuals to make early shifts in their lifestyle behaviours,” he said. Dr Purohit, the renowned Public health expert, averred that according to the recent World Health Organization (WHO) projections, the total annual number of deaths from NCDs will increase to 55 million by 2030, if timely interventions are not done for prevention and control of NCDs.

“NCDs are rapidly increasing globally and have reached epidemic proportions in many countries, largely due to globalization, industrialization, and rapid urbanization with demographic and lifestyle changes.”he added He pointed that as per the recent Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India report the prevalence of early risk factors like obesity and dyslipidemia or cholesterol irregularities have jumped 50 per cent and 18 percent respectively between 2019 and 2022.