“Difficult to put a figure on annual spending of our country on Diabetes,” ministry states

India has one of the highest diabetes patients in the world.

A recent news report claimed that annual spending of India on diabetes is a whopping Rs 1.5 lakh crore, rising 30% annually. The ministry of health and family welfare has disputed the claim.

In a written reply to Lok Sabha, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, FS Kulaste said, “As reported by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), it is difficult to put a figure on annual spending of our country on Diabetes. ICMR also reported that one research paper suggested that estimated cost of Diabetes care in India would be approximately Rs 18,000 crores.”

He further said, “Department of Pharmaceuticals has informed that as per Pharmatrac database of May, 2016 available with National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), total Moving Annual Turnover (MAT) value of all pharmaceutical Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) is Rs 99,475.9 crores, out of which MAT value of anti-diabetic medicines is Rs 8,198.8 crores.”

The news report claimed that diabetes spend in India is nearly 4.7 times the centre’s allocations on health sector.

“The cost of conventional Insulins in India remains one of the cheapest anywhere in the world and a few State Governments have also provisions to supply it free of cost to insulin requiring individuals. Newer insulin analogous are more expensive and are mainly manufactured and marketed by multinational firms,” the minister said.

In 2011-12, the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) reported that India was home to 62 million diabetics.

PHFI stated that globally 183 million people with diabetes are undiagnosed.

It caused 4.6 million deaths in 2011 and caused $465 billion in healthcare expenditures in 2011.

The ministry said that the government is taking initiatives to curtail the problem.

In order to ensure awareness on spread of diabetes in India the government has launched:

1.       National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) for interventions up to District level under the National Health Mission.

NPCDCS focuses on awareness generation for behaviour and life-style changes, screening and early diagnosis of persons with high level of risk factors and their referral to higher facilities for appropriate management.

2.       Operational Guidelines for implementing population level screening for diabetes, hypertension & common cancer viz. oral, breast and cervix have been released to the State Governments. 
These guidelines include screening for risk factors of these diseases. Such screening will generate awareness on risk factors of Diabetes among others.