As many as 3.46 lakh people died of diabetes in 2015, up from 2.24 lakh in 2005, with the deadly disease climbing to the seventh position on the list of causes of deaths in the country, government said today.
The prevalence of diabetes in India was nearly 70 million in 2015, government said. (Representational)
The increase in numbers from 2005 to 2015 has led to the shift from 11th position to seventh position in terms of cause of death due to diabetes, Minister of State for Health Faggan Singh Kulaste said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
The prevalence of diabetes in the country was nearly 70 million in 2015, he said.
<div id='ndtvrelcontent'></div>The minister said that government is implementing National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) for interventions up to district level under the National Health Mission.
It has focused on awareness generation for behaviour and life-style changes, screening and early diagnosis of persons with high level of risk factors and their treatment and referral to higher facilities for appropriate management for Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) including Diabetes, he said.
Replying to another question, Mr Kulaste said, "Diabetes is one of the common NCDs. ICMR has informed that according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Diabetes Atlas, 7th Edition, the prevalence of diabetes in India is 69.2 million in 2015.
"ICMR has undertaken a study on diabetes - ICMR India Diabetes (ICMR-INDAB) Study on the prevalence of diabetes. It is an ongoing study and current results available from 15 states and UTs indicate overall prevalence of diabetes which varies from 4 per cent to 13 per cent," he said.
The minister said that operational guidelines for implementing population level screening for diabetes, Hyper-tension and common cancer - oral, breast and cervix - have been released to state governments.
These guidelines include screening for risk factors of these diseases and such screening will generate awareness on risk factors of these diseases, he said.
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