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Rewa: Well over half of the deaths in India are caused by noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension, heart attacks and related conditions, said a World Health Organisation report on Thursday (April 23). “India faces a significant challenge with noncommunicable diseases, which account for approximately 63% of all deaths in the country,” the report said.

“Conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and common cancers are responsible for an increasing share of morbidity (disease prevalence) and mortality,” the global health body noted.

NCDs or noncommunicable diseases stand out within the overall disease burden because they are mostly preventable through lifestyle changes and are often manageable, though they are also long-term or chronic in nature after onset. They also carry a significant mortality risk if not prevented or managed adequately.

The government of India has acknowledged this crisis too, often citing a report of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) from 2017 on the rising prevalence of such diseases. In his reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on February 10, the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jhadav said, “The proportion of incidence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) including cancer, diabetes and heart disease has increased in India from 30.5% in 1990 to 55.4% in 2016.”

There is no other data that the government has cited in its replies in parliament. While acknowledging the rise in prevalence of NCDs, the government has said that it has taken a series of steps to counter the trend.

“The programme focuses on strengthening infrastructure, human resource development, screening, early diagnosis, referral, treatment and health promotion for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs),” Jadhav said on March 13, in another response to a question on the issue in Rajya Sabha.

Last year, the government claimed it has adopted several measures to address the NCD burden in rural areas in particular.

“[The] preventive aspect of NCDs, including........

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