Union Health Minister JP Nadda chaired a key session on “Addressing Non-Communicable Diseases in India: From Preventive to Care” during the 18th Civil Services Day celebrations, spotlighting India’s evolving holistic health strategy amid rising NCD threats.
Nadda emphasized the 2017 National Health Policy’s comprehensive approach covering preventive, promotive, curative, geriatric, rehabilitative, and palliative care, noting strong progress on communicable diseases but the urgent need for an NCD focus due to longer timelines and awareness gaps.
With NCDs causing 60% of deaths in India, the National Programme for Prevention and Control of NCDs prioritizes infrastructure strengthening, early diagnosis, health promotion, disease management, and timely referrals.
Key achievements include over 1.85 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs as primary health touchpoints staffed with ASHA workers and frontline staff, plus 107 district-level NCD clinics and 233 cardiac care units; the recent budget mandates day-care cancer centres in every district.
Massive screenings since 2017 cover 41.5 crore for hypertension (7.1 crore diagnosed, 5.7 crore notified), 41.3 crore for diabetes (4.7 crore diagnosed, 3.4 crore treated), 35.3 crore for oral cancer (2.3 lakh diagnosed, 2 lakh treated), 16.5 crore for breast cancer, and 8.73 crore for cervical cancer (1.1 lakh diagnosed, 97,000 treated).
Infrastructure boosts include 880 medical colleges, 23 AIIMS (20 operational, with cardiology and super-speciality cancer departments), and ₹64,000 crore under the Health Infrastructure Mission; eSanjeevani has delivered 46.4 crore teleconsultations for rural access.
Nadda stressed that 70% of NCD risks tie to lifestyle, promoting “Eat Right India” and “Fit India” alongside PM Modi’s calls to cut oil by 10%, reduce salt/sugar, and strengthen anti-tobacco laws where India leads, though other tobacco forms persist while expanding yoga for well-being.
Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava outlined a multi-pronged NCD strategy via NP-NCD, including 75×25 and Swasth Nari-Sashakt Pariwar Abhiyan for prevention and screening; she flagged obesity (24% women, 23% men per NFHS-5) driven by high-fat/processed foods, urging behavioural shifts and collective action.
Prof. (Dr.) S.K. Sarin from ILBS advocated early screening to cut disease burden.
