New Delhi: Stroke cases are increasing in India and a high proportion of them are among young people, Parliament was informed Friday.
Quoting the National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health report, Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad said the number of stroke cases will increase to 1.7 million in 2015 from 1.2 million in 2005.
"Hospital based data from India indicate a high proportion of young stroke cases - first ever stroke onset is 40 years - ranging between 15 percent to 30 percent," Azad said.
The minister said to address the non-communicable disease burden, including stroke cases, the ministry has drafted a National Programme for Prevention and Control of Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke (NPDCS).
Initially, the programme is proposed to be implemented in 15 states and union territories in 100 districts, he added.
Azad said all stroke cases are attended to in the health care delivery system at various levels, including community health centres and district hospitals.
He said under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), which aims to provide quality healthcare to people living in remote areas of the country, funds have been provided to states to strengthen their health infrastructure.
IANS
