NCDs raise alarm for Tripura, 10 per cent of population suffers from diabetes

AGARTALA: The Tripura health administration expressed serious concern over the growing incidences of non-communicable diseases (NCD) related to modern lifestyle and raised the alarm by launching the Star-NCD program.
According to a report from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), about 10 per cent of Tripura’s population has already been affected by diabetes; second in Northeast after Sikkim with a record of 15 per cent population suffering from high blood sugar.
Modification lifestyle is the most important to fight against NCD and the Star-NCD program has been launched aiming to identify and suggest treatment methodologies for non-communicable diseases, said a specialist from ICMR Dr Nikhil Tandon.
He said that 62 per cent of deaths in the country now can be attributed to NCDs like diabetes, high blood pressure, and others because of negligence in personal health care, lack of physical exercise, and consumption of fast food or contaminated food exacerbated by non-intake of fibrous food.
“What is quite astonishing is that despite knowing how and why people fall prey to NCDs most of the people remain apathetic to this matter and go about their sweet ways; this has to stop if we are to prevent premature fatalities,” Tandon observed and added, ministry of health has undertaken a special program for identification of people affected by NCD and their treatment and as part of this they are touring different states.
“Lifestyle change is the top-most priority for warding off NCDs through proper food intake and by avoiding addiction to cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, and similar other substances for a healthy life,” he added.
Adding to Dr Tandon, health secretary of Tripura Kiran Gitte informed that 57 per cent of the patients arriving in Agartala Govt Medical College (AGMC) seeking treatment are found to be suffering from NCDs especially, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer while the remaining 43 per cent of patients comprised of health complications of women, children, and infectious diseases.
“We have collaborated with AIIMS to launch a four-year-long program to study NCDs,” he added.
The study revealed as many as 26.4 per cent of women and 27.3 per cent male are found to be affected by blood pressure while 21 per cent of women and 21.2 per cent of men are affected by diabetes. In most cases, people don’t accept that they are affected by these health complications and don’t make the necessary changes in their lifestyle, Gitte underlined.