'Indian men have lesser lifespan, more disease-prone'

Having a lesser life span than women, Indian men are also two to four times more prone to cancer, stone diseases, suicides and heart attacks and five to six times more likely to fall prey "lifestyle diseases", an expert said Thursday.

Over 1.3 billion Indian men are suffering from kidney disorders among other health issues but are unable to get early and effective treatment due to dearth of urologists in India, said Rajiv Sood, head of the urology department at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital here.

Speaking at the Urological Society of India Conference here, he said: "Till now men's health had no place in national health programmes. We only focused on child and women health."

"We are unaware of the fact that the average life span of man is five years less than women in India.

"There is fast-paced technological advancement in urology and there are a number of options available for optimal patients' care but they are going unnoticed for want of awareness," added Sood, calling for focus on newer equipments and drugs to cure urological problems of Indian men.