Follow-Up Care Services

Healthcare providers are trying to differentiate themselves by providing multiple services under one roof

- Anand Tiwari

India is facing a disease burden, where we have witnessed a steep rise of 25% in terms of non-communicable diseases. While communicable diseases are short term and can be managed through medicines over a period of time, non-communicable diseases are generally chronic in nature and needs care throughout the life.

The first and foremost reason for the rising non communicable diseases is the ignorance towards health followed by lack of awareness towards the disease. In India, people have the tendency of self treatment and over the counter medications that apparently leads to worsening of their conditions. As a result, they end up paying more for the disease which could have been cured at the very initial stage.

A comprehensive study by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reveals that a health crisis is spanning the entire spectrum of ailments, from lifestyle-related diseases to the persistent scourge of malnutrition. The contribution of most major non-communicable disease categories to the total disease burden has increased in all states since 1990. These include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, mental health and neurological disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, cancers, and chronic kidney disease.

Less follow-up care for patients

The Indian Journal of Medical Research states, "Despite the population explosion (population has tripled since Independence), the ratio of doctor to general population is now 1:1800. India is witnessing fast demographic changes which is already starting to see a deluge of lifestyle disorders (cardiovascular disorder, diabetes, and cancer, etc.). By 2025, India may become the world's diabetic capital. Management of lifestyle disorders needs a continuous long-term interaction of patients with highly-skilled trained doctors and not just a primary health worker."