India may join 19 other countries

BENGALURU:Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI) submitted the Dementia Strategy for India to Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda here on Friday and requested him to enable India to join 19 countries across the world which already have a national plan for Dementia.

On Friday, the Bangalore Chapter of ARDSI and Nightingales Medical Trust (NMT) organised a three-day International Symposium on Dementia in which Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda was present.

According to reports, in India, over 41 lakh elders suffer from dementia. Compared to other countries, India is lagging behind in providing appropriate care and services to Dementia patients. Paolo Barbarino, CEO, Alzheimer’s Disease International, said, “India is a part of an international research project called STRiDE (Strengthening Responses to Dementia in Developing Countries) initiated by the London School of Economics that provides scientific data on costs involved in Dementia in lower and middle-income countries. Local recommendations produced as a part of the project will support implementation of National Dementia Plans.”