About the theme
Over the past few decades, developing countries like India have seen a rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Changing lifestyles, urbanisation, pollution, aging populations are all significantly linked to the increase of NCDs such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, cancers, etc., which account for approximately 5.9 million deaths annually.
In the last decade, India has introduced several concrete measures to address this issue, such as the National Programme on Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, CVD and Stroke (NPCDCS) and the ‘Ayushman Bharat’ programme aimed at improving the delivery of primary healthcare.
The Tata Trusts interventions aim to strengthen these government programmes by focusing on early screening, diagnosis and referral management for hypertension, diabetes and three of the most common cancers – oral cancer, breast cancer and cervical cancer, through skill building of frontline workers, increasing technology adoption, providing a continuum of care through access to regular treatment and follow-ups and access to appropriate medicines in a timely manner. The Trusts have also supported the development of a digital platform for NCD screening in collaboration with Dell Foundation.
