India must rely on public-private partnership to address the challenges posed by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) which now affect a large section of the country's population -- both young and old, said Union Minister of State for Development of NE Region.

NCDs account for 61 per cent of deaths in India each year, according to the Global Burden of Diseases Report, 2016. They constitute a major public health challenge, impacting both the social and economic development of the country with substantial human costs. "We cannot move ahead without public-private partnership," Singh said while addressing third national-level consultation event on NCDs organised jointly by Project Hope, a global health organisation, and pharmaceuticals major Eli Lilly and Company India Pvt. Ltd.

The aim of this consultation was to address implementation challenges in controlling NCDs and prioritise actions for effective implementation. "The subject of non-communicable diseases marks the march of India from one era of disease spectrum to another era. Currently, NCDs in India are facing challenges in terms of economic, social, cultural and lifestyle aspects," Singh said.

"The present government is very sensitive to the economic and lifestyle aspects and the Ayushman Bharat programme announced by the government will benefit 10 crore families with a insurance cover of Rs 5 Lakh each," he added. "The government has also started the process of setting up wellness clinics all over the country and free dialysis unit in each of the hospitals, especially at district level," the minister, whoc is also a diabetologist, said.

While highlighting the constraints faced by the rural population in accessing healthcare facilities, Singh said that "in India, the urban patient is over-treated, while the rural patient in under-treated." He said that India needs to create a synergy between different healthcare options such as ayurveda, allopathy and naturopathy to prevent these options from "overlapping each other".

"If you are able to create the synergy among the different options, then that would create the real hope," Singh said. "Project Hope is working in partnership with government and key stakeholders to respond to the growing burden of NCDs in India," said Laxmikant Palo, Regional Director -- Southeast Asia Asia/Country Director-India, Project Hope.