Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are becoming a “silent tsunami” in India and must be treated like a national emergency, says Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals, as she presented the findings of the Health of the Nation 2025 (HoN-2025) report.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Reddy stressed the seriousness of the situation:
“We believe that non-communicable disease is a silent tsunami, almost like a COVID-type situation, which is silently living among us… It should be treated almost like on a war footing.”
The HoN-2025 report, based on health screenings of over 2.5 million individuals across Apollo’s healthcare ecosystem, has exposed alarming health trends in the country:
- 70% of deaths in India are now due to non-communicable diseases.
- Among 4.5 lakh people screened for blood pressure, 26% were found hypertensive, despite being asymptomatic and not morbidly obese.
- 23% were diabetic with no visible symptoms.
- A massive rise in diabetes among post-menopausal women, growing from 14% to 40% in just four years.
- Fatty liver cases among women increased from 54% to 70%, while a study of 2.5 lakh people in the vulnerable category found 65% had fatty liver, of which 85% were non-alcoholic cases.
“Long-term hypertension can lead to strokes and various other disorders, including kidney disorders… It’s very important for people to become aware and get screened regularly,” Reddy said.
Apollo’s fifth edition of HoN was launched with a clear message:
“Don’t wait for symptoms – make preventive health your priority.”
Notably, preventive health checks in Apollo facilities have surged by 150% in five years — from 1 million in 2019 to 2.5 million in 2024, indicating increased public awareness and proactive healthcare adoption.
The report highlights three key focus areas:
- Fatty liver disease
- Post-menopausal health decline
- Childhood obesity
Utilizing AI-driven risk stratification and insights from de-identified electronic medical records, Apollo emphasizes personalized interventions and lifestyle-based care models to reverse this silent health epidemic.
With NCDs now emerging as the biggest threat to public health in India, experts are urging individuals and policymakers to shift from a symptom-led model to a preventive, proactive approach to healthcare.