Apollo focusing on prevention to tackle the NCD crisis: Preetha Reddy

Non-communicable diseases (NCD) are going to be a major challenge for the world in times to come and Apollo Hospitals is focusing on their prevention, Preetha Reddy, executive vice-chairperson of Apollo Hospitals, told Business Standard.
 
“The contribution of NCDs in deaths has shot up. Sometimes almost 65 per cent of deaths are happening with NCDs, which is a rise from the 1990s. But you know the population is also growing. Stress has also grown,” Reddy said. According to the World Health Organization, around 71 per cent of global deaths are being contributed by NCDs. The economic burden on India due to these diseases is expected to be about $6.2 trillion before 2030.
 
“I think there's a 35 per cent increase in people looking at health screening. The good part is that the number of health screening has gone up. The level of consciousness is there. And to me that is important. We just have to look at peo