Non-Communicable Diseases and Covid-19 Pandemic: A Spatial Analysis of Multiple Healthcare Burden in India

Abstract

Background: The entire world experiences triple as well as multiple burdens of diseases with the co-existence of prevailing burden of communicable diseases and evolving heavy burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) along with the outburst of COVID-19 crisis. Materials and Methods: The study has been extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Publicly available data related to COVID-19 and NCD burden from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, COVID-19 Tracker, and Kerala Government’s Directorate of Health Services. Results: The burden of COVID-19 is larger in states with a higher prevalence of non-communicable diseases and in states that are further along in the epidemiological transition. Around 95 percent of the deceased had one or more comorbidities, and the majority of them had several comorbidities. NCDs such as Hypertension and diabetes, as well as coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, and cancer, are appeared as a common predictor of COVID-19 mortality. Conclusion: The COVID-19 action, as well as a sustained and enhanced emphasis on NCD diagnosis, intervention, and interrelated facets of healthcare system, are essential. Future policy interventions should be focus on whole sectors such as health, education, employment, poverty, and local governance to address the underlying social, economic, and environmental grounds of ill health including pandemic to mitigate the repercussions and to achieve the sustainable development goals.