Transforming healthcare: Moving from reactive to preventive care

With the rising burden of chronic diseases and the need for advanced diagnostics, moving from reactive to preventive care may help

- SANDEEP SEWLIKAR

India's healthcare system is unique, complex, and multifaceted involving both the government and private sector to cater to the health needs of its 1.4 billion population. Insufficient infrastructure, inadequate funding, and a shortage of trained manpower have impacted healthcare delivery for decades. Coupled with these issues, the sector is also dealing with the complex needs of an aging population; the need to keep up to date with evolving advances in technology and medicine; heightened patient expectations; cost consciousness - all this against the backdrop of the economic setback of the pandemic.

Prevention first!

Adopting a prevention-first mindset is vital not only for alleviating the burden on the healthcare system but also for its aggregated socio-economic gains. As per studies, 86 percent of healthcare costs are associated with managing chronic diseases. A bulletin of the World Health Organization (WHO) mentions that "diagnostic testing has become necessary for diagnosing and monitoring disease".

India is undergoing a rapid health transition with the burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). NCDs are estimated to account for 63 percent of all deaths in India of which cardiovascular diseases lead to 27 percent overall mortality. As per the National Programme For Prevention And Control Of Non-Communicable Diseases report 2023, the estimated loss of economic output due to NCDs, excluding mental conditions, will be $3.55 trillion for India for 2012-2030.