NCDs responsible for maximum out-of-pocket expenditure on health: Govt

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for maximum out-of-pocket expenditure on health, and economic output lost due to them, excluding mental conditions, is estimated to be USD 3.55 trillion for the country for 2012-2030, the government said on Wednesday.

In view of the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, associated morbidities and mortalities, the government has also widened the ambit of the prevention and control programme for NCDs by including chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and asthma, chronic kidney diseases and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases.

With the inclusions, the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) has now been renamed as the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD), the government said.

NCDs are estimated to account for 63 per cent of all deaths in the country of which cardiovascular diseases lead with 27 per cent overall ...