Chandigarh: As Punjab faces a significant rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), its health department is out with a project of identifying the factors behind this troubling trend of hypertension, diabetes, and cancer. State’s health minister, Dr Balbir Singh, has enlisted experts from Patiala’s Rajindra Medical College to investigate the causes of this surge in the NCDs and develop preventive strategies. Resident doctors and interns will gather data in both rural and urban areas for insights into necessary lifestyle changes and effective interventions.
The project aims at understanding the spike in conditions such as diabetes and proposing actionable measures. The minister emphasised the importance of community engagement, stating: “By visiting different areas, doctors will ascertain what lifestyle changes people need to make.” Hypertension, Punjab’s most common NCD, accounts for 42.8% of outpatient visits related to chronic conditions. If untreated, it can lead to even heart disease or stroke. The rate of cancer has also risen alarmingly. Breast and cervical cancers have killed 31,879 women between 2014 and 2023, at a 26% increase in their mortality rates. Punjab has now committed to addressing the growing burden of NCDs through targeted prevention and management strategies aimed at improving public health outcomes.

The rise in Punjab’s NCDs can be attributed to several factors. Unhealthy lifestyle choices being first. Poor dietary habits, including high consumption of processed foods and low intake of fruits and vegetables, contribute significantly to hypertension and diabetes. Insufficient physical activity exacerbates these issues to obesity and related problems. Lack of awareness about the disease's management has increased the rate of increase for diabetes. Environmental factors such as high pesticide use in agriculture are associated with a rising trend in cancer cases. Among socioeconomic factors, limited access to healthcare services and preventive measures can hinder early detection and management of NCDs, allowing these diseases to progress unchecked. Stress and mental illness due to social and economic pressures can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as drug abuse, which increases the risk of developing NCDs.