Conscious policy changes can make a radical difference to the health of the population of a country, said K. Srinath Reddy, cardiologist and president, Public Health Foundation of India.

Delivering the seventh MDRF-UAB Gold Medal Oration organised by the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation on Friday, Dr. Reddy said cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a major development threat to India. According to him, changing habits, sedentary lifestyles and inattention to changing healthcare policies to suit the need of the hour were pushing developing countries to the centre of epidemics such as diabetes and CVDs. In India, CVD is rising in both rural and urban areas.

Various factors

The epidemic has been propelled by various environmental factors, he said. Understanding this, countries such as Mauritius, Poland and Finland had made changes in their policies that allowed for import of vegetable oils, vegetables and fruits instead of depending on palm oil and meat, and this had resulted in improving the health of their population, he said.............Read More

Source: The Hindu