Bring people under private insurance and Ayushman Bharat to tackle the burden of non-communicable diseases: Health experts

Bengaluru: We must insist on annual health check-ups for people, and consider bringing them under the coverage of private health insurance and Ayushman Bharat to tackle the burden of non-communicable diseases in India, suggested Kris Gopalakrishnan, co-founder, Infosys, on Wednesday.

“We (Indian government) give nearly 800 million people free rice. If we give them free health check-ups over free rice, I believe that will be a healthier option,” he said.

He was speaking on the occasion of a virtual release of a white paper titled ‘Healthy India 2047: Lifestyle Medicine for a Sustainable Future’ organised by the Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI) and Christian Medical College, Vellore.

The paper outlines strategies to the government and stakeholders to address the rising burden of preventable non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and rising healthcare costs in India through lifestyle medicine.

Authored by a committee of experts, it recommends an evidence-based approach through nutrition, physical activity, mental and spiritual wellbeing, relationships and social connections, restorative sleep and environmental health. Cross-sectoral collaboration, strengthened by digital tools, public awareness campaigns, and integration with national policies will help India reduce its NCD burden as part of Vision 2047 goals.

Divya Alexander, research consultant and convenor of the recommendations committee, noted that promoting plant-based diets, integrating nutrition education into schools, encouraging physical exercise in schools and workplaces, and introducing mindfulness programs are some scalable recommendations that can be implemented even in rural settings. The paper also advocates better sleep practices, stronger social support systems and policies to cut tobacco use and environmental pollution.

While cardiac surgeon Dr Devi Shetty called for a relook at disease and patient management and advocated annual health check-ups from 18 years of age so diseases can be diagnosed early, Dr Srinath Reddy, one of the chairs of the committee, pushed healthcare practitioners to empower each patient with knowledge about healthy practices, calling lifestyle medicine a “potent instrument” to improve the health conditions in the country.

Dr Vinod Paul, Member, NITI Aayog called for a ‘Jan Andolan’ for India’s average life expectancy to touch 85 years by 2047. He urged committee members to examine existing government policies to identify gaps and opportunities for multi-sectoral, multi-agency collaboration to promote these recommendations in both the public and private sector.