TAMING THE SILENT KILLER: INDIA'S REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS TOWARDS CONTROLLING HIGH BP

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a serious health condition that often develops quietly without producing any clear symptoms.

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However, it considerably increases the risk of heart disease, kidney damage, stroke, and heart failure in affected populations. As a result, it has earned the notorious-moniker of "the silent killer".

Hypertension is estimated to affect 20 crore adults in India and has long been a serious threat to public health in the country, showing a nearly two-fold increase in prevalence between 1980 and 2010.

Alarmingly, studies have shown that about 90% of the Indian population with hypertension, especially in rural areas, has uncontrolled blood pressure levels. This has largely been due to missed diagnoses, limited access to healthcare, and poor adherence to treatment plans. As a result, India has witnessed a remarkable rise in the rates of heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and stroke. The situation is further complicated by the high rates of diabetes in India, which, when combined with hypertension, nefariously increases the risk of serious health complications. Given the seriousness of this issue, focused interventions to tackle the hypertension epidemic in India have become necessary.

In 2013, the World Health Organisation (WHO) outlined its "25 by 25" targetto reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer by 25% by the year 2025. Recognising the urgent need to address this issue, the Indian Government readily embraced this challenge head-on.

Among the nine voluntary goals of India's mission was a 25% reduction in the prevalence of hypertension by 2025. In response, the Indian Government's Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research, launched the India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) in 2017. This large-scale public health initiative went handin-hand with the efforts of the National Health Policy and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (Ayushman Bharat Yojana) toward theprevention of premature deaths due to NCDs.