Despite the global decline, four of the top 10 causes of death in low-income countries like India are noncommunicable diseases. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, tend to be of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioral factors. The main types of NCD are cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes. NCDs disproportionately affect people in low- and middle-income countries where more than three quarters of global NCD deaths – 31.4 million – occur. In India, lightning kills us, fire kills us, snake bite kills us, mosquito bite kills us, road rage kills us, lack of Oxygen kills us, cyclones kill us and so on. Then there is death due to suicides. Lack of support, awareness and access to mental health care forces us to take our own life. But why, as a society, do we not question why even a single person will die in causes which are preventable?
Human lives are precious. Assigning a statistical value after each death which was preventable cannot and should not absolve us from our moral failures. Our attitude, our intentions need serious introspection. If, not now, then when? World today again needs " reading, listening and thinking bees but not speaking trees ". This is undoubtedly the best time in history to live and to contribute.
Data, Data, everywhere,
And we are asking for more;
Data, Data, everywhere,
But interpretation is missing.
Absence of data is also data, equally important if not more. Just an example - Do they teach us the importance of communication and language in health care management? No, but is it possible to do any interaction with a doctor without communicating? We need to read, reflect, think, discuss biology / evolution, demography, anthropology, geography, history, sociology, engineering, science, technology, astronomy, evolution, philosophy, psychology. We need to read substance in both fiction and nonfiction. This is our moment of truth and we can win if we deconstruct the challenges at hand by asking the right questions and create a structure or framework for solutions from the abstract.
Metabolic risk factors contribute to four key metabolic changes that increase the risk of NCDs:
- raised blood pressure;
- overweight/obesity;
- hyperglycemia (high blood glucose levels); and
- hyperlipidemia (high levels of fat in the blood).
Investing in better management of NCDs is critical. Management of NCDs includes detecting, screening and treating these diseases, and providing access to palliative care for people in need. Tracking, testing and containment: needs to improve. We must check if the probability distribution function models the future disease containments better? Predictive analytics may help us in resource management. High impact essential NCD interventions can be delivered through a primary health care approach to strengthen early detection and timely treatment. Evidence shows such interventions are excellent economic investments because, if provided early to patients, they can reduce the need for more expensive treatment. It's important to seek the answers for the following questions urgently
1. What is the cost of an untimely death for a household?
2. What is the cost of a preventable disease for a household?
3. What are the options available for health insurances?
4. How can we behave more responsibly for our own wellbeing?
5. Can we pursue a hobby to live happily?
References
1. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases
2. https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/lightning-kills-several-people-in-bengal/cid/1818120
3. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria
4. https://www.statista.com/statistics/665354/number-of-suicides-india/
6. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death
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