New Delhi: Union Health Ministry has conceptualized dedicating a particular day of each year for highlighting the dangers of Hypertension.
Speaking at the 23rd Annual Conference of the Hypertension Society of India (HSICON), Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, said “I am preparing the Ministry to meet the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD). Hypertension, diabetes, cancers, coronary artery disease, etc. are projected by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the biggest gnawers of our public health budget in the next decade.”
According to a report released by the WHO, Hypertension accounts for 7 per cent of disability adjusted life years worldwide and 9.4 million deaths annually.
“I hope to marshal the synergies of organisations in the medical field into making National Hypertension Day a platform for intensive dialogue between government and patient, pharmaceutical company and patient, lifestyle gurus and patient, and so on. It will also highlight the dangers of consuming junk food, alcohol consumption and smoking, physical inactivity, as well as the importance of Yoga for both prevention and management of hypertension,” the Minister added.
In India, hypertension is the leading NCD risk and estimated to be attributable for nearly 10 per cent of all deaths. Adult hypertension prevalence has risen dramatically over the past three decades from 5 per cent to between 20-40 per cent in urban areas and 12-17 per cent in rural areas. Most people don't know they are suffering from hypertension until it is too late.
The number of hypertensive individuals is anticipated to nearly double from 118 million in 2000 to 213 million by 2025. It is estimated that 16 per cent of ischemic heart disease, 21 per cent of peripheral vascular disease, 24 per cent of acute myocardial infarctions and 29 per cent of strokes are attributable to hypertension.
He also announced plans to give a push to both into hypertension research and free treatment/management under the public health system.
