UNICEF plans to support govt to address rising concerns of NCDs among children

UNICEF plans to collaborate with the government to address the rising concerns of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among children, said UNICEF India Health Specialist Dr Vivek Virendra Singh.

In an interview with PTI, Singh also emphasized the urgent need to address the intersection of environmental degradation, climate change and NCDs among children.

The government is developing additional guidelines specifically targeting NCDs in children, he said, adding UNICEF plans to support the government by ensuring these guidelines are effectively disseminated across states in India.

The guidelines will enable leveraging of India's extensive network of over 800 NCD clinics at district levels and over 2,000 at sub-district levels for prevention and management of NCDs in children.

This guidance will also provide opportunities for convergence across multiple programmes and sectors, for example, comprehensive primary health care through Health and Wellness Centres, the school health programme and the Ministry of Women and Child Development's ICDS (Integrated Child Development Service) programmes, Singh said.

This initiative by the government marks a crucial shift in India's health strategy as the National Program for Non-Communicable Diseases, revamped last year, expands its focus to include pediatric care. In 2023, India updated its operational guidelines for the National Program for Non-Communicable Diseases, initially focused on cancer, diabetes, and hypertension, to a broader scope covering all NCDs.

Singh discussed the rising need for ensuring quality and universal care for children suffering from childhood onset NCDs like Type 1 diabetes.

While Type 1 diabetes in children is a genetic condition; recent evidence from multiple researchers also highlight the possibility of heavy metal poisoning in the environment and rise in endocrine disorders like diabetes.

He said, "The environment in which children live is increasingly becoming a factor in their health, and environmental degradation is amplifying these risks particularly among the most vulnerable women and children."

"We would need more robust research to fully grasp how environment degradation and climate change is influencing the prevalence of NCDs and to develop effective intervention strategies," Singh asserted.

He also underscored the need for global collaboration in addressing these challenges.

"Environment degradation and climate change is a global issue that requires a coordinated response from all sectors," he said.

UNICEF is working with select states on Healthy Environment for Healthy Children and plans to bolster local primary healthcare systems, focusing on strengthening early life course interventions for prevention of NCDs, while supporting health systems capacity for timely identification and management of childhood onset NCDs, he added.

Empowering children living with conditions such as Type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, asthma and congenital heart disease to advocate for better care and resources is critical, Singh said.

This can be done by giving them knowledge and tools to enable them to participate in their own care, to plan with local governments and demand quality universal care for all children living with childhood onset NCDs, he said.

The two key pillars for NCDs and children are: One, to close the tap on the rising NCDs by early life course interventions to prevent NCDs in children; and two, to strengthen the primary healthcare system to provide quality universal care for children suffering from childhood onset NCDs.

Singh said UNICEF will work with the states and government of India to put children at the heart of NCDs agenda, and will raise the issue at the fourth UN high-level meeting on NCDs in 2025.

Speaking on the early detection, care and management needed for children and young people living with NCDs, Cynthia McCaffrey, UNICEF India Representative, said, "UNICEF's mandate is to protect children's rights, to help children survive and thrive. The epidemiological burden is shifting to non-communicable diseases, that includes Type 1 diabetes, and is rising among children and adolescents globally and in India, who need immediate attention."

"Children and youth from vulnerable communities are at the greatest risk as they are often excluded from global NCD targets contributing to poor identification and intervention for treatable conditions," McCaffrey said.

"UNICEF recognizes that it is critical to integrate NCD care into primary healthcare, along with specialized capacity building on one hand and community awareness and demand creation on the other. An effective system for early detection, care and treatment of children with Type 1 diabetes (T1D), birth defects developmental disabilities to enable them to live to their full potential," she added.

Recently, experts at a high-level meeting discussed about early diagnosis and treatment of NCDs, including T1D, critical for care and quality of life. The meeting was organized by Breakthrough T1D, a leading global Type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization, and the Friends of Mewar in collaboration with UNICEF.

The meeting was hosted by Padmaja Kumari Parmar, Breakthrough T1D Global Ambassador, and was participated by multi-stakeholder partners including representatives from Breakthrough T1D, UNICEF, Friends of Mewar, charitable institutions, clinicians, civil society organizations and ImPatient Network, a coalition of community members and individuals living with T1D.