Aimed at generating world-class knowledge that can impact policy and practice, and contribute towards reducing the burden of chronic conditions in India and beyond — the Centre for Control of Chronic Conditions (CCCC) — was launched by Minister of State for Science and Technology Y.S. Chowdary here.
He also released a joint report on “Chronic Conditions in India — Evidence based Solutions for a Growing Health Crisis”. The report has addressed the rising tide of chronic conditions in India and argues that the cost of inaction towards chronic conditions will be too high for the country to bear.
The CCCC is an international partnership between four leading institutions: the All India Institute of Medical Sciences; Emory University; the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; and the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI).
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The secretariat for this global partnership will be at the PHFI. The centre will have multi-disciplinary group of researchers and health professionals representing a spectrum of clinical, public health, genetics, biochemistry and social science disciplines. The work focuses on priority chronic conditions like cardiovascular diseases and stroke, mental disorders, diabetes, chronic lung diseases, cancer, injuries and chronic kidney diseases.
Lauding this collaboration, AIIMS Director Professor M.C. Misra said: “India, alongside other developing nations, has not yet gotten over the burden of infectious diseases in all age groups and children in particular. It is also projected that India and China will house the largest proportion [over 80 per cent] of the elderly population with all antecedent health issues, including chronic diseases, which have not been witnessed earlier.”
He added that India has already passed the early stages of the chronic disease burden in the form of diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular diseases, mental health illness, etc.
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Chronic conditions are now the leading cause of deaths in India, accounting for more than five million deaths or over 53 per cent of the total deaths each year.