This not-so-healthy findings are from a health ministry-supported study carried out in Bangalore and Chennai as a part of a pilot programme on non-communicable diseases to estimate the prevalence of major cardiovascular risk factors like diabetes and high blood pressure among people.

“Fourteen per cent people in Bangalore were found diabetic and 21 per cent have high blood pressure,” Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said here at a national summit on non-communicable disease on Tuesday. About 14 per cent population in Bangalore is suffering from diabetes and hypertension while three per cent pregnant women are diabetic.

In Chennai, out of 300,000 lakh persons tested, 50,000  were found diabetic, 60,000  hypertensive and 40,000 are prone to both risk factors.

The studies were conduced as part of nationwide programme launched in July 2010 for prevention and control of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke. The Rs 1,231-crore initiative covers 100 selected districts in 21 states.

“A comprehensive programme will now be rolled out in the 12th plan covering all the 604 districts. The programme will focus on health promotion, prevention of exposure to risk factors, early diagnosis, treatment of common diseases and rehabilitation services,” Azad said. India is currently having an estimated 5.1 crore diabetic patients. The trend is expected to continue to touch 8 crore diabetics by 2030.

Similarly, the number of persons affected with cardio-vascular diseases was about 3.8 crore in 2005 that may go up to 6.4 crore by 2015, he said.

Non-communicable diseases kill 36 million people all over the world, accounting for 60 per cent of all deaths, out of 5.5 million deaths occur in India.

Currently, non-communicable diseases cause 53 per cent  of deaths in India, which may go up to 60 per cent by 2015, according to a World Health Organisation estimate.
With non-communicable diseases emerging as a major global public health threat, the United Nations General Assembly has convened a special four-day session beginning September 19 to chalk out  a strategy to stem the rising threat. The government programme is so far targeted to 100 most backward and inaccessible districts in 21 states and urban slums in 33 cities with population of more than 10 lakhs.