The contribution of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) as top causes of death in India has risen to a staggering 64.9 per cent, according to a study released by the Apollo Hospitals Group.

In contrast, deaths on account of communicable diseases, maternal, and other causes dropped to 25 per cent.

The study underlines how Artificial Intelligence and big data analytics can help to predict risk and prevent NCDs.

Given the pandemic, this is also important as individuals with NCDs such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and chronic liver disease have a greater mortality risk from Covid-19, the study said.

“Even before the pandemic began, we have been facing an unacceptable loss of lives due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The silent epidemic of NCDs was evident with NCDs behind 40 per cent of all hospital stays,” Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group said in a release.

“However, in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, the data from our Health of the Nation report made it clear that we have let another epidemic slip, the epidemic of NCDs – the impact of which we are already beginning to see around us,” he added.

NCDs affect not just health, but also productivity and economic growth. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations recognises NCDs as a major challenge for sustainable development with the target to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by one-third by 2030.

The pandemic last year has exacerbated the risks and impact of NCDs manifold, as also shown in the Health of the Nation report.

Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group said: “Today, we are showcasing our insights into a vast amount of health data that will form the foundation of a healthcare model for our future.”

The study was released on the occasion of the World Health Day.

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