Rapid Health Impact Assessment of select Govt. Policies.

60% of all deaths in India occur due to non-communicable diseases, also known as lifestyle diseases. The four main groups of these diseases – cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory (lung) diseases and diabetes account for 48% of all deaths and 80% of the deaths from non-communicable diseases. These lifestyle diseases result from commonly modifiable risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and alcohol abuse.

These diseases not only have health implications but also social, economic and developmental consequences for individuals, families, societies and nations. NCDs will cost India INR 126 trillion from now through 2030, which is 1.5 times India’s annual aggregate income and almost 35 times India’s total annual health spending. Most of the factors influencing health, such as poverty, environment, education, agriculture and transport etc. lie beyond the control of the health sector.

Study Duration: The study commenced in October 2014 and ended in March 2015

Aim:

The Ministry for Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with WHO –India are developing a National Multisectoral Action plan for prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCD), in recognition of the need for a whole-of-government response to these lifestyle diseases.

In order to operationalise a multisectoral response, the WHO Country Office in India along with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have commissioned the Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru to carry out a systematic health impact assessment of the existing policies, programmes and schemes of four select ministries: Commerce and Industry; Environment and Forest; Rural Development; and Food Processing

Objectives:

The primary objective of the rapid health impact assessment was to review and analyse key government sector policies, strategies, programs, or legislations (as appropriate) and examine their effect on determinants of public health with a focus on tobacco, diet, and other risk factors of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

The conventional HIA process (see Fig below) was adapted for the purpose of this rapid health impact assessment and the following approaches were used:

Desk-review of published and unpublished materials, including policies, strategies, programmes or relevant legislations, available online or in printed form;
In-depth interviews with key experts at assigned government ministries, and stakeholder consultation at appropriate levels;
Consensus building (debriefing) meetings with technical persons and senior officials of the assigned Govt. ministries.

General HIA process:

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