In India, the rapid rise of the impact of chronic diseases has become a serious public health issue. According to the World health Organization (WHO) chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 60 % of all deaths in India.
In India, the rapid rise of the impact of chronic diseases has become a serious public health issue. According to the World health Organization (WHO) chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 60 % of all deaths in India. It is expected that with the progressive rise in chronic disease prevalence in India mortality rates from chronic disease will grow as will the economic and social burden of chronic diseases.
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) has taken up the mantle to bring NCDs to the forefront and mobilize thought leaders amongst policy makers and other stakeholders to identify feasible interventions to tackle the growing disease burden of chronic disease.
Adopting a multi-sectoral approach, the PFCD has organized four high-impact multi-stakeholder discussions in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Ahmedabad respectively in the last two quarters of 2014. The diverse group of over 40 prominent speakers and panelists has set the tone for the PFCD’s agenda in extracting lucid policy interventions from the brightest minds in the country.
The multi-stakeholder discussions are serving as a platform to highlight the growing burden of NCDs along with the role of different stakeholders in fighting this epidemic. Through these initiatives, the PFCD aims to ensure that policymakers, communities, and individuals have the information they need to make the right decisions regarding health and health policy. During these discussions a number of key interventions have emerged that will form the basis on which a National Blueprint will be prepared to aid the government in tackling this issue.
These initiatives become all more important as the current Indian government has set its vision to establish a universally “accessible, affordable and effective” healthcare system in the country. As the government takes firm steps towards shaping a healthy India, this initiative is intended to complement the government’s efforts in developing innovative policies to mitigate NCDs and to realize its vision for a healthy nation.
India / shutterstock
