Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Dec 25, 2007
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version
Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, Dec 25, 2007 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version |
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Industry & Economy
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Health States - Andhra Pradesh Economic cost of neglected diseases pegged at $237 b
Mortality risks to malnourished, anaemic children, women. Need for a much larger role for doctors, health delivery system. Policies that are scientifically credible, operationally stable. K.V. Kurmanath Hyderabad, Dec. 24 As India attempts to become a global healthcare destination, it faces an irony. It lost about $9 billion in national income in 2005 due to the premature death of people who succumbed to heart problems, stroke and diabetes. It lost 9.2 million years of life in 2000 due to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This gives an idea of the shape of things to come. Official estimates put the cumulative losses in the form of national income at a whopping $237 billion in the next 10 years. There could be a loss of 18 million years of life by 2030 due to CVDs, said Prof. K. Srinath Reddy, President of Public Health Foundation of India, while delivering the Dr D. Bhaskara Reddy Endowment Oration on ‘Current Challenges in Public Health in India’ on Saturday. Prof. Reddy, a former Head of Cardiology Dept at AIIMS, advocated for identifying the problem at the macro level and carrying out interventions that would have an impact on the micro (individual) level. Life conditionsCiting official surveys, he pointed out that nothing much has happened to better the life conditions of malnourished, anaemic children and women. In some cases, the situation has worsened in most States, he said. He also highlighted the urban-rural divide in terms of risks, education and awareness that had a direct bearing on mortality. There was a yawning divide class-wise too, with people at the lower stratum getting exposed more to mortality risks. Strongly advocating for a much larger role for doctors, Prof. Reddy said promotion of task-shifting, task-sharing and multi-skilling would go a long way in expanding the collective reach of the health delivery mechanism. He said strong policies would have a positive impact. “About 48 per cent of mortality averted in the UK during 1981-2000 is attributable to reduced smoking,” he pointed out. Higher taxes, ban on advertisements, policies that promoted smoke-free areas and health warnings would help reduce risks posed to lives. “While drafting policies, we need to ensure that they were scientifically credible, financially feasible, operationally stable, and politically viable,” Prof Reddy summed up. More Stories on : Health | Economy | Andhra Pradesh
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