Struggle to combat infectious diseases while manage rapid growth of chronic diseases in India: Significant economic burden with

estimated 50 million diabetics and high mortality rate due to chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease

India has the second largest population in the world and its GDP is ranked 9

th

in the world. The

healthcare sector is one of Indias largest sectors, both in terms of revenue and employment. Accounting for approximately 6% of Indias GDP, the healthcare system is expected to grow to nearly $77Billion by 2012. Rapidly growing and aging population, rise of the middle-class and lifestyle changes are all predominant factors creating significant opportunities but also pose as challenges for India strained healthcare sector. In terms of its diseases profile, India is struggling to combat both a change in infectious diseases as well as manage rapid rise in chronic diseases. India is experiencing success in combating infectious diseases such as polio, leprosy and neonatal tetanus. However, some infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and pneumonia, diseases previously under relative control have returned in force, with several developing troubling resistance to even the latest antibiotic drugs. India is also experiencing a large rise in chronic systemic diseases, especially heart disease, stroke and diabetes. India for instance, has one o f t h e l a r g e s t n u m b e r o f d i a b e t i c s i n t h e w o r l d w i t h a n estimated 50 million individuals. By 2030, this number is expected to

increase by 150%, a major jump from 27 million in 2000. This will put a s i g n i f i c a n t s t r a i n t o I n d i a s h e a l t h s y s t e m a n d e c o n o m y a s t h e total annual cost to treat Indias diabetic patients (including direct and indirect expenses) is estimated at $420 per capita, making total estimated cost of treating the disease to reach $30 billion by 2025. Cardiovascular disease will be the largest cause of death and disability by 2020 in India. It is predicted that 2.6 Million Indians will die from coronary heart disease, which constitutes 54% of all cardiovascular disease deaths. Nearly half of these deaths will occur in young and middle aged individuals, making the impact to society and economy even more significant. And finally maternal and infant mortality are still unacceptably high in vast areas of the country. This changing disease profile poses even more challenges to Indias healthcare system. Healthcare in India today is very disparate. At one spectrum, high quality medical care is being provided to middle class Indians and medical tourists. On the other spectrum, the majority of Indians receive only limited or no access to quality healthcare. It is expected only 25% of the Indian population has access to Western medicine which is practiced mainly in urban areas whereas the rural poor rely on alternative forms of treatment such as acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine and unani.

BRIDGING INTELLIGENCE GAPS IN HEALTHCARE

Despite substantial progress made to improve Indias healthcare system, there are still areas of concern. India does not as yet have an adequate number of all categories of health professionals, whether of doctors, specialist doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, para-medics and health workers. In addition, Indias physical healthcare infrastructure has not kept pace with the economys growth and is inadequate to meet todays healthcare demands.

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BRIDGING INTELLIGENCE GAPS IN HEALTHCARE