Government needs to revisit its strategy for prevention of lifestyle diseases-Preeti Rao Founder Weljii

“India is the World’s Diabetes Capital and 60% of all Heart patients worldwide are predicted to be Indians in the near future. Just until 2015, these preventable lifestyle diseases cost India $257 Billion. The threat of lifestyle chronic diseases continues to grow, accounting for 53% of deaths - this is particularly important as India has the "youngest" population. Not to mention, the treatment costs for the non-communicable diseases are nearly double that of other conditions and illnesses. Government spending on Healthcare has been stagnant at below 1% GDP and its spending on prevention of lifestyle diseases is almost negligible,” shared Preeti Rao in a conversation with BW Business World.

Rao is the founder of Weljii, Health and Wellness Coaching Centre and Institute. Weljii works to address solutions towards both prevention and management of lifestyle diseases, as well an opportunity for aspiring professionals to receive intensive training in the field.

The unsustainable costs, poor outcomes, frequent medical errors, poor patient satisfaction, and worsening health disparities all point to a need for transformative change in the Indian Medical System, feels Preeti.

“Unfortunately, our doctors or hospitals are not addressing many modifiable risk factors for chronic diseases adequately. A patient rarely gets more than 5-10 minutes with his/her doctors leaving little time to evaluate the true causes for the onset of disease. Doctors are overburdened and do not have the time to coach patients on lifestyle change. Not to miss, they are not trained or equipped to help their patients in this process of change,” expressed Rao.

India, today faces widening epidemics of obesity and chronic lifestyle diseases that are largely preventable or can be managed effectively with lifestyle changes pertaining to nutrition, exercise, stress, emotional, mental, relational, occupational and spiritual wellbeing.

The budget is out and Preeti Rao revealed her wish list and prescription for the Health and Wellness sector for the time to come.

Rao believes that the government needs to revisit its strategy for prevention of lifestyle diseases and provide encouragement in the form of tax cuts, subsidies, inclusion of wellness in Healthcare services, vis-a-vis both the current and future budgets.

Here are a few steps the Government could have taken to reinvent the wheel to formulate the Budget for Healthcare in her opinion:

• “Corporate Social Responsibility activities for wellness should be allowed and included to improve the health of the nation by making wellness the way of life for local communities, cities, schools and universities.”
• “GST on Wellness and natural medicines should be reduced to encourage consumers to opt for more holistic approaches to wellness. The current GST rates that vary from 28% to 12% in this category is rather high in comparison to what the Healthcare and Pharma Industry enjoys.”
• “Insurance companies should include a preventive health plan that goes beyond health checkups and diagnostic tests to include alternative therapies, fitness memberships, health and wellness coaching, nutritional counseling, and physiotherapy. A prevention model, focused on forestalling the development of disease before symptoms or life-threatening events occur, is the best solution to the current crisis in India. The primary reason for preventable lifestyle disease is not genetic but behavioral.”
• “The Government must invest in creating Fitness Facilities for the common man to encourage daily exercise enabling much easy access to those that cannot pay for gym memberships and fitness trainers making India an active nation.”
• “Wellness Education at schools and colleges must be made part of the curriculum as what kids learn in early years and the lifestyle habits they form stay with them as they grow older. As a nation, we must encourage our youth to be more informed about cultivating a Healthy Lifestyle.”
• “The government can incentivize technological innovation for wellbeing/ wellness. Tax cuts and subsidies in this sector will lead more active engagement of private player to focus on prevention and proactive wellness initiatives.”
• “Reduction in taxation for health and wellness startups would be a great move and will encourage more players to enter this space with cutting edge innovative idea to solve the problem of lifestyle diseases and enabling scalability of access to these solutions to the masses.”
• “Digital De-addiction programs is another area the government can lend its ears to considering that it is leading to reduced productivity and increased mental illness in the young and old of India."

Preeti highlights that once we address these issues we will no longer need more surgical interventions, drugs and doctors, but will become an Industry that is focused on helping the nation cultivate healthy lifestyle habits.

Stressing that, “Even anticipated savings of 25% of $257 – current spend of lifestyle disease treatment- can lead to savings upwards of $85 Billion! And move this nation from being a highly sedentary, unhealthy to a nation of well and happy citizens.”