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Neurological disorders lead to 70% of child disabilities: K’taka HM
Speaking at the inauguration of the 3rd Indian National Conference of COMHAD (Commonwealth Association for Health And Disability), Sudhakar said mental health issues and non-communicable diseases are on the rise due to current food habits, lifestyle and sleep patterns.
Karnataka health minister Dr K Sudhakar on Saturday said neurological disorders contribute to almost 70% of the burden of disability in childhood and could become a threat to the country’s development.
Speaking at the inauguration of the 3rd Indian National Conference of COMHAD (Commonwealth Association for Health And Disability), he said mental health issues and non-communicable diseases are on the rise due to current food habits, lifestyle and sleep patterns.
“We now see that among all age groups, from youngsters to adults to senior citizens, we are seeing a lot of mental health issues. Due to this, the quality of life is severely affected,” Sudhakar said, adding that mental health care is an extremely important part of any healthcare system.
“The burden of neurological issues is ever-increasing in India and could become a threat to the growth and development of our country, both economically and socially,” Sudhakar said.
“There is a rise in mental health and neurological issues including dementia, paralyzing stroke, epilepsy etc. We will need to create awareness about these issues starting from school children to working professionals. Neurological disorders contribute to almost 70% of the burden of disability in childhood,” the minister added.
He noted that the state government has taken up the issue and has developed the ‘Hub and Spoke’ model in association with NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences).
“What this means is that NIMHANS will act as a hub, and the PHCs in all districts will act as spokes to work together to address the increasing mental health issues. We are trying to train MBBS doctors at the PHCs to diagnose and counsel patients with mental health needs.”
Speaking at the State Conference on Diabetes organized by KRSSDI on Saturday, Sudhakar also said that healthcare should be shifted from doctor-centric to patient-centric and hospital-centric to home-centric.
“Prevention-oriented approach is necessary to improve the healthcare system. For this, more awareness needs to be created among the people. Additionally, everyone should cooperate in the collection of statistics on non-communicable diseases,” Sudhakar said.
“The healthcare system needs to change from a hospital-centric approach to a home-centric approach through modern technologies. There has to be a shift from a doctor-centric to a patient-centric system,” he said.
Awareness and preventive measures are necessary to improve the health system further, the health minister said, adding that information, education, and communication will benefit people more.
“Although Karnataka has progressed in health, it lags in maternal and infant mortality. Awareness programs are necessary for this. More than 8,000 health and wellness centres have been opened in the state. Non-communicable disease screening has been increased in these centres. By this, accurate data related to NCDs is being collected. Doctors should also cooperate in the collection of correct data,” he added.
