Piramals unveil campaign against chronic diseases

The Piramal Group, in association with an industry organisation, today launched a nationwide campaign against chronic diseases.

The programme, titled 'helpyourbody', is aimed to reduce the projected trend of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and diabetes in three phases — knowledge, action and care, said Ajay Piramal, chairman of the Piramal Group.

India is expected to be the chronic disease capital of the world with 70 million diabetics, 213 million hypertensive patients and 60 million with arthritis by 2025.

These diseases threaten to wipe out about 1.5 per cent of the GDP by 2015. According to the WHO, the cost of chronic diseases, including welfare losses, was estimated to be over Rs 15 lakh crore by 2015, noted Swati Piramal, director, Piramal group.

The initiative, in association with the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), was launched here by former President APJ Abdul Kalam.

In the first phase during the current year, the Piramal Group will invest Rs15-20 crore. This is to create awareness and education through a mass media campaign and through a website, 'www.helpyourbody.in'. The Piramal Group will set up a 30,000-member advisory panel of experts in diabetology, cardiology, and orthopaedics, who will disseminate knowledge and information to patients on risk factors for chronic disease, diagnosis and management.

In the second phase, a helpyourbody test for chronic illnesses will be available at 90 diagnostics centres across 47 cities. Detection camps will be organized in 20 cities across India reaching out to over one crore people. Local communities built through non-governmental organisations and the local medical fraternity would provide a platform for people to build and sustain momentum through periodic local activities, said Piramal.