Health Issues India

From infectious diseases to the diseases of affluence – changing habits and lifestyles are bringing a change in disease patterns. But India’s healthcare system is not changing fast enough to keep up. Lalita Panicker considers what this means for cancer patients.

A combination of genetic predisposition and rapidly increasing prosperity means that India may be at unique risk from noncommunicable disease such as hypertension and diabetes.

Access to potable water in India has increased strongly over the past decade but a 2007 study from the Asian Development Bank reported that no major Indian city distributes clean water for more than a few hours a day.