MINISTER OF STATE FOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (Y.S. CHOWDARY)
(a) & (b) Yes, Madam. Chronic disease conditions comprising diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular diseases, mental health illness, kidney diseases & injury are now the leading cause of death in India, accounting for more than 5 million deaths annually i.e. over 53% of all deaths. This is projected to rise to almost 75% of deaths by 2030. India has unique public health issues, wherein infectious diseases especially in children, who continue to add to the numbers alongside elderly population (>80 per cent) with many chronic diseases. The reasons for large number of chronic diseases are: faulty life-style; habituation to tobacco/alcohol, increased life-span and aging population.
(c) Yes, Madam. There is an urgent need to focus on chronic conditions like cardiovascular diseases and stroke, mental disorders, diabetes, chronic lung diseases, cancer injuries and chronic kidney diseases as the mortality/morbidity due to such diseases has already passed the early stages of chronic disease burden and would impact overall health of the nation if remained un¬tackled.
(d)& (e) Yes, Madam. A Centre for Control of Chronic Conditions (CCCC) under the aegis of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) has been launched by the Minister of State for Science and Technology in April, 2015. PHFI is an independent foundation launched by the then PM of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2006 as a public-private initiative with multiple partners i.e. Indian and international academia, state and central governments, multi & bi-lateral agencies and civil society groups. CCCC is an international partnership between the PHFI, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, Emory University and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. While PHFI adopts a broad, integrative approach to public health, tailoring its endeavors to Indian conditions, CCCC with its secretariat at the PHFI would include multi¬disciplinary groups of researchers and health professionals with focuses on the chronic diseases. A joint report on "Chronic Conditions in India - Evidence based solutions for a growing health crisis" addressing the rising trends of chronic conditions in India has also been released for sensitizing multiple stakeholders including the GOI for appropriate action.
