✅Context: Increasing non-communicable disease (NCD) burden in India's urban areas, especially among marginalized communities.
Key Issues:
✅Marginalized Communities:
🔸Face a triple burden of hazardous work environments, limited healthcare access, and financial vulnerability.
🔸Often excluded from public health systems and social safety nets.
✅Rising NCD Prevalence:
🔸Increasing rates of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.
🔸Decline in tobacco and alcohol consumption but rise in NCDs.
✅Challenges in NCD Management:
🔸Lack of awareness and early detection.
🔸Poor access to affordable healthcare.
🔸Financial burden of treatment.
✅Role of Technology:
🔸Potential of digital health technologies for remote monitoring and early detection.
🔸Need for community-based health promotion and education.
✅Policy and System Reforms:
🔸Strengthening primary healthcare systems.
🔸Implementing effective NCD control programs.
🔸Addressing social determinants of health.
✅Possible UPSC Prelims Question: Which of the following is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs)?
a) Malnutrition
b) Poor sanitation
c) Tobacco use
d) Lack of education
✅Possible UPSC Mains Question: Discuss the challenges in controlling non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in India, particularly among marginalized urban populations. What strategies can be implemented to address these challenges and improve public health outcomes?
