Content:
- Prescribe preventive medicine for a healthy India
- Health and sanitation as the pillars of a healthy India
Prescribe preventive medicine for a healthy India
Contextual Background
- India aims to become a $5 trillion economy and global powerhouse.
- However, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are becoming a “silent epidemic” threatening this vision.
- NCDs account for ~two-thirds of all deaths in India.
Relevance : GS 2(Governance , Health)
Practice Question :“With Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) emerging as a major public health and economic challenge, discuss the need for shifting from a curative to a preventive healthcare model in India. Suggest measures to institutionalise preventive health practices across individuals, communities, and governance structures.” (15 marks, 250 words)
Understanding the Rise of NCDs
- Epidemiological Transition: Shift from infectious to chronic lifestyle-related diseases.
- Major NCDs: Heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, chronic lung disease.
- Premature affliction: Affecting individuals as young as 30-40 years, reducing India’s demographic dividend.
Economic Burden
- NCDs cause:
- Reduced productivity.
- Workforce dropout.
- Losses estimated at 5-10% of GDP.
- WEF-Harvard study: Projected ~$3.5–4 trillion loss to Indian economy (2012–2030).
- Prevention is thus an economic imperative, not just a health expense.
Preventability of NCDs
- ~80% of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes are preventable through lifestyle change.
- Risk factors:
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Unhealthy diet.
- Tobacco & alcohol use.
- Air pollution.
- Genetic predisposition.
Lifestyle and Behavioural Interventions
- Combat obesity (22–23% adults overweight).
- Promote:
- Daily exercise (30 min moderate activity).
- Healthy diet (fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, reduced salt/sugar).
- Consider pollution control as preventive medicine, especially to combat COPD, lung cancer, etc.
Role of Early Screening
- Regular health check-ups starting at 40 (or earlier if family history).
- Examples:
- Blood pressure screening → prevents stroke.
- HPV test / Mammography → early detection of cervical/breast cancer.
- Colonoscopy → detect/remove precancerous polyps.
Technology & Digital Health: A Game Changer
- 750+ million smartphone users: leverage digital tools for health messaging and tracking.
- Wearables: Track vital signs, encourage healthy habits.
- AI & Predictive Modelling:
- Risk forecasting (e.g., 10-year cardiac risk).
- Early diagnostics using ML (e.g., spotting lung nodules, fatty liver in scans).
- But, technology must remain humane, ethical, and patient-centric.
Fostering a Preventive Mindset
- Shift from “cure model” to “care model.”
- Emphasize:
- Personal accountability: Individuals must prioritize daily habits.
- Corporate role: Wellness programs, periodic health check-ups, in-house counselling.
- Healthcare providers: Focus on education, screening, early intervention.
- Government:
- National Programme for Prevention and Control of NCDs (NP-NCD).
- Health & Wellness Centres (HWCs) under Ayushman Bharat.
- Health-oriented policies: urban green spaces, school curricula on nutrition, food industry regulations.
Conclusion: “Heal before there is a need to heal”
- Preventive medicine is not merely a service — it’s a philosophy of proactive well-being.
- A healthy population is a productive, economically valuable asset.
- Each Indian must act — and when scaled, this could redefine national health outcomes and economic trajectory.
Health and sanitation as the pillars of a healthy India
Interlinkage of Health and Sanitation
- Health and sanitation are fundamentally interconnected — clean water and safe sanitation prevent numerous diseases, especially in rural areas.
- WHO: Over 3 lakh diarrhoeal deaths averted (2014–2019) due to SBM.
- Nature (2024): ~70,000 child deaths prevented annually due to improved sanitation.
- Improved sanitation → Reduced incidence of waterborne diseases → Lower burden on healthcare system.
Relevance : GS Paper 2 ( Health, Governance, Social Justice)
Practice Question : “Health and sanitation are not separate pursuits but two sides of the same coin.” In the context of India’s recent initiatives like Swachh Bharat Mission and Jal Jeevan Mission, critically examine how access to sanitation and clean water is transforming public health and rural development in India.(15 marks, 250 words)
Sanitation as a Public Health Revolution – SBM (Grameen)
- Launched in 2014 as a Jan Andolan (People’s Movement) aimed at ending open defecation.
- By 2019, India declared itself Open Defecation Free (ODF) — 11 years ahead of SDG target (2030).
- Behavioural change, intergenerational equity, and dignity were key drivers.
- UNICEF (2017): ₹50,000 annual health savings per ODF household; 93% women felt safer.
- Environmental impact: Groundwater in ODF villages 12.7 times less likely to be contaminated.
Jal Jeevan Mission – Water as Preventive Health Tool
- Launched in 2019 to provide tap water to every rural household.
- As of 2024, 80% rural households have tap water connections.
- Nobel Laureate Michael Kremer: Universal tap coverage → Prevents 1.36 lakh under-5 deaths.
- WHO: JJM could avert 4 lakh diarrhoeal deaths.
- Time saved (5.5 crore hours daily) → Enhanced productivity & women’s empowerment.
Gender Empowerment and Community Participation
- Women as agents of change:
- 2.48 million women trained to test water quality.
- Women-led SHGs managing recycling units, sanitary napkin production, and sanitation assets.
- This empowerment fosters ownership, sustains outcomes, and builds community resilience.
Sujal and Swachh Gaon – Holistic Village-Level Integration
- Integrates WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) parameters at grassroots.
- Over 5.07 lakh villages have solid waste management;
5.23 lakh have liquid waste systems. - Swachh Sujal Gaon certification = marker of comprehensive rural transformation.
Reduced Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE)
- Shift from curative to preventive healthcare → Reduces health-related financial burdens.
- Clean water & sanitation reduce disease prevalence → Lower healthcare expenses → More economic stability.
India’s Model – A Global Blueprint
- Technological integration:
- Real-time dashboards
- GOBARdhan biogas plants
- Plastic waste management units
- Model offers scalable, community-led innovations suitable for the Global South.
Convergence: Health is Not One Ministry’s Job
- Health outcomes depend on coordination among:
- Ministry of Jal Shakti (Water)
- Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
- Ministry of Rural Development
- Ministry of Women and Child Development
- SDG 6 (WASH), SDG 3 (Health), and SDG 5 (Gender Equality) all intersect.
Vision of Viksit Bharat (Developed India)
- No child missing school due to poor hygiene.
- No woman walking miles for water.
- No family losing lives to preventable diseases.
- Emphasis on equity, dignity, opportunity, and sustainability.
