India’s health research is not aligned with its disease burden

Source: The post is based on the article “India’s health research is not aligned with its disease burden” published in “The Hindu” on 28th August 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health,

News: The article discusses how India’s healthcare research does not align with its actual health challenges. It uses data to show discrepancies between diseases’ impact on India’s population and the amount of research conducted on them.

What is Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs)?

Definition: DALYs is a measure used to gauge the overall disease burden on a population.

Components: It combines two aspects:

1.Years of life lost due to premature mortality.

2.Years lived with disability or reduced health.

Usage: The World Health Organization employs DALYs to represent both mortality and morbidity in populations.

What are the issues with healthcare research in India?

Mismatch in Research Priorities and Disease Burden:

A study by IISc in Bangalore and Leiden University revealed discrepancies between India’s health research and the real disease challenges it faces.

While Diabetes Mellitus had 3.1% of DALYs, its research accounted for 7.5%.

Neonatal conditions made up 12.3% of DALYs but received only 1.3% of research attention.

Under-Researched Major Health Challenges:

Cardiovascular diseases represent 16% of India’s disease burden, yet only 5% of research focuses on them.

In high-income countries, these diseases account for over 20% of DALYs but only 10% of research.

Disproportionate Attention to Certain Diseases:

Cancer, making up less than 5% of India’s DALYs, dominates research with 22% of publications.

Tuberculosis aligns better: 7% disease burden with 5% research dedication, heightened by concerns of multi-drug resistance.

Global Threats Over Domestic Needs:

Diseases like malaria (0.5% DALYs) and HIV/AIDS (1% DALYs) command 2.5% of India’s research because of their global significance.

External Influences Skew Local Research:

The research direction in India is influenced by the health priorities of high-income countries. Major scientific journals also play a role in this misalignment by emphasizing global north issues.