Heart diseases biggest cause of death in India

Heart and lung diseases are the top killers in the country, Health Minister JP Nadda informed the Rajya Sabha today.

According to WHO, the top ten causes of death in India are Ischemic heart disease (12.4%), chronic obstructive lung disease (10.8%), stroke (9%), diarrhoeal diseases (6%), lower respiratory tract infections (4.5%), preterm birth complications (3.9%), tuberculosis (2.7%), self-harm (2.6%), falls (2.6%) and road injury (2.4%), Nadda said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

"While some of these can be diagnosed at early stages and treated by qualified and trained MBBS doctors, diseases such as cancer, stroke, etc. Require services of specialists with postgraduate qualifications," the Minister said.
 

At present, there are 57,138 MBBS seats and 25,850 postgraduate seats in the country.