Need to pay urgent attention towards preventive aspects of

NCDs: Nadda New Delhi, Sep 1 (PTI) Union Health Minister J P Naddatoday said support of private sector is crucial in designingschool curriculum to inculcate healthy lifestyles amongchildren and stressed the need to pay urgent attentiontowards preventive aspects of non-communicable diseases). Nadda said that most of the major non-communicablediseases (NCDs) generally labeled as ‘lifestyle diseases’ areacquired and social behaviour change plays a major role inpreventing them. "The support of the private sector in this area will becrucial, especially in designing curriculum for the childrenat school so that we can inculcate healthy lifestyle in themin their formative years," an official statement quotingNadda, who was speaking at FICCI HEAL event said. "Superior outcomes in healthcare in India will be betterachieved with innovations in health practices and products,and I urge private sector to give priority to innovations andbest practices," he said. The Health Minister further said that some formidablechallenges still need to be addressed in many states due tolack of sturdy infrastructure and shortage of skilled manpoweramong other things. "We should not work in silos. There is urgent need tointeract and work together in making a meaningful change," hesaid. Highlighting the benefits of the Affordable Medicines andReliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) outlets, the HealthMinister said that these clinics have sold drugs worth Rs 28crores as per the MRP. However, the costs to the patients through these outletshave only been Rs 9 crores and has thus resulted in saving ofRs 19 crore out of pocket expenditure to the patients. Noting that the government is making strides in the fieldof telemedicine, Nadda said the facility with three remotelocations – Community Health Centre, Pooh in Kinnour, HimachalPradesh, Pampa Hospital, Sabrimala in Kerala and Sheshnag basecamp on way to Amarnath Shrine has been started. He also reiterated the government’s resolve to strengthentertiary health care in all its premium institutions byinducting state-of-art technology, training and capacitybuilding of human resource and providing affordable andconvenient tertiary health care through various steps. Meanwhile, according to a FICCI statement, Nadda saidthat there was a need to educate children at an early ageabout lifestyle choices and the government was planning tocome out with a pictorial leaflet – a lifestyle guide – as apart of the school curriculum, which would educate studentsabout healthy lifestyle choices. PTI TDSRG