The Impressive TimesCHENNAI, April 12,2025: Delivering the inaugural address at the 4-day “Gleneagles Liver and
Transplant International Summit” (GLTS 2025) here today, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh,
who is also a noted Diabetologist and Professor of Medicine, emphasised on finding affordable
disease detection options. For this, all the stakeholders, including the public and private sector
need to come together, he said.
Sounding a wake-up call on the growing burden of non-communicable diseases in India, the
Minister stressed the urgent need for affordable and accessible early detection of conditions
like fatty liver and diabetes, which he termed as silent epidemics threatening the nation’s youthSpeaking at the summit,
Dr. Jitendra Singh observed that “every third Indian is found to have fatty liver, and one in every three or four hospital patients is diagnosed with underlying diabetes.” Emphasising the impact of these conditions on India’s
demographic dividend, he said, “To preserve the energies of our young population for the task
of nation building, mass detection mechanisms must be in place. But the challenge lies in
affordability, which is where the public and private sectors must come together.”
The Minister reflected on the changing health landscape of the country, where both infectious
and non-communicable diseases are on the rise. “Diseases once associated with age or lifestyle
are now being seen among the young. Fatty liver, type 2 diabetes, and even heart attacks are
no longer confined to older populations,” he said, calling for a shift from curative to preventive
healthcare.
He highlighted the increasing prevalence of central obesity, particularly among Indians, who
despite appearing lean, often carry visceral fat—a key contributor to metabolic disorders.
Drawing attention to studies on the Indian diaspora, Dr. Jitendra Singh explained how the
Indian genetic makeup itself poses a higher risk for such conditions, regardless of geography
or lifestyle.
The Minister praised the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in prioritising
preventive health through schemes like Ayushman Bharat, the expansion of Tata Memorial
Centre’s cancer care network, and the establishment of nearly three lakh wellness centres across
the country. He also pointed to India’s achievements in the biotech and health research sector,
including the development of indigenous vaccines, gene therapy trials for haemophilia, and
new antibiotics like Nafithromycin.
Underlining the need for a “whole-of-government, whole-of-nation” approach, Dr. Jitendra
Singh urged closer synergy between public institutions and private healthcare providers. “The
public sector has the infrastructure and knowledge; the private sector has the resources.
Together, they can bridge the gap in access and affordability,” he said.
He concluded with a call for collective responsibility, stating that the health of India’s youth is
no longer just a concern for doctors, but a national responsibility. “We cannot afford to lose the
architects of Viksit Bharat 2047 to preventable diseases,” he said, adding that conferences like
GLTS play a crucial role in guiding policy and awareness.
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