A round-table conference on the challenge of lifestyle diseases in India was held at the German Embassy here today.
The main focus of the Indo-German Health Round Table was diabetes and prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD).
German Ambassador to India Martin Ney delivered the opening remarks at the conference.
Krishna Chellappa, Director Nephrocare, Fresenius Medical Care India Pvt Ltd, said at least four in 10 patients in India suffer from CKD. This, he said, will lead to the need for increased number of beds and other infrastructural requirements in hospitals.
Bina Bansal from Medanta Hospital said 60 per cent of Indian patients suffer from non-communicable diseases, including diabetes. She stressed the need for timely screening of diabetes at the age of sixteen because of its increasing prevalence among the youth.
Mirai Chatterjee, Director, SEWA Social Security, emphasised the need to invest in primary healthcare.
"We need to ensure diabetes and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) become a part of primary health care. There is a need for 70 per cent investment for primary health care. The National Health Policy tries to address some of this by including Universal Health Assurance and through its focus on NCDs," Chatterjee said.
Dinesh Khullar, Director and Head of the Department - Nephrology & Kidney Transplant Medicine, Max Hospital, and Manoj Jhalani, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health, also took part in the discussion.
The panelists also concurred on the need to tap technology to make healthcare more easily accessible to the people.
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