Govt to develop surveillance playbook for non-communicable diseases

The health ministry is planning to develop a playbook for surveillance, research and funding of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), after a national monitoring survey peer-reviewed this week showed worrying trends of these ailments in India.

The proposal, which is part of the survey, also calls for developing a prioritized national NCD research agenda for at least 10 years to guide research and funding priorities and stakeholder engagements to fill the knowledge and operational gaps in policies and programme requirements.

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India already has a National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) under its tertiary care programmes, for which the allocation was increased from ₹311.50 crore (revised estimates) in 2020-21 to ₹500.50 crore in the Union budget 2021-22.

The Centre took note of the issue after the National NCD Monitoring Survey (NNMS) report showed that two in five adults have three or more risk factors for NCDs and that the status of health system in responding to the disease burden is also underscored. NNMS, the largest comprehensive national survey on risk factors and health systems preparedness of NCDs, has also called for the use of telemedicine for cancer, diabetes, heart diseases and stroke.

The survey also found that more than one in every four adults and 6.2% adolescents were overweight or obese; almost three out of ten adults had raised blood pressure and 9.3% had raised blood glucose.

Conducted during 2017-18, the survey results showed that more than two in five adults and one in four adolescents had insufficient physical activity and their average daily intake of salt was 8g. The survey also showed that one in every three adults and more than one-fourth proportion of men used some form of tobacco and consumed alcohol in past 12 months respectively. The survey funded by the health ministry was conducted by the ICMR and other government medical institutions. “There is a need to improve multi-sectoral approaches to prevention and management of NCDs. Regular surveillance of NCDs is critical,” health minister Harsh Vardhan said earlier.