How do you look at
the overall healthcare
scenario in India?
The recent approval of the
National Health Policy
2017 by the Union Cabinet
is a very positive step
towards a better health
care access and system
in India. The last health
policy was issued 15 years
ago in 2002. The policy
proposes raising public
health expenditure to 2.5
percent of the GDP in
a time-bound manner.
The policy intends to
increase life expectancy
at birth from 67.5 to
70 by 2025 and reduce
infant mortality rate to
28 by 2019. It also aims
to reduce under five
mortality to 23 by the
year 2025. Besides, it
intends to achieve the
global 2020 HIV target.
The foremost attention
need to be on addressing
the implementation
challenges. This required
key stakeholders
engagement to work
together to operationalize
the policy at all level.
What are the biggest
challenges that India
faces because of
non-communicable
diseases?
The Non-Communicable
Diseases (NCDs) are the
largest contributors for
mortality and morbidity
around world. The burden
and threat of NCDs
constitutes a major public
health challenge that
undermines social and
economic development
of India. NCDs affect rich
and poor alike. A decade
ago, NCD was a disease
of aged. Now the trend
is changing because of
lifestyle changes and
culturally and climatically
inappropriate food habits
and environmental
changes make the
younger generation in
their productive age
group affected with the
condition. If not checked
right now uncontrolled
NCD explosion may
affect the economy of the
country. NCDs will be a
huge burden unless the
country prioritise for a
carefully planned evidence
based control initiatives.
Where do we stand
on the framing of
right policies and
the implementation
of solutions at
ground level?
Scientific knowledge
demonstrates that the
NCDs burden can be
greatly reduced if cost-
effective preventive and
curative actions, along
with interventions for
prevention and control of
NCDs are implemented
in an effective manner.
Government of India
had launched various
vertical programmes
such as National Cancer
Control Programmes,
National Tobacco
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