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We have come a long way in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, and we have a lot to learn from it. The pandemic has put into focus areas that need to be strengthened in global health systems. Leaders worldwide are now aware that public health issues must be tackled through pre-emptive and comprehensive strategies. Health can no longer be viewed in isolation as a development issue as it can have devastating effects on overall well-being.
One of India's emerging health challenges is the rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cancer, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart diseases, mental health, chronic lung diseases etc. Together, NCDs contribute to nearly 62% of India's disease burden, which is even more than infectious diseases. An even more significant challenge is that most of the actions to avert NCDs lie outside the health sector, and thus a multi-pronged approach is needed.