Table 3 Policy agenda for CVD control

Socioeconomic and education

National literacy mission, right to education act

Strengthen policy initiatives

National rural employment guarantee act

Linking these to health

Inter-ministerial collaboration

National CVD control program

Pilot phase of national CVD and diabetes control program

Scaling up and integration with NRHM and NUHM

National health programs (NRHM, NUHM)

Healthcare financing

State level initiatives for families designated below poverty line

Health insurance for CVD including for risk factor management, acute care and secondary prevention

Multiple public and private insurance providers

Integration and social marketing of existing initiatives

Medical education and training of healthcare workers

Largely profession driven, cure-centric continuing medical education events

Structured, public-health, preventive approach

A formal preventive cardiology education and certifications

Tobacco control

India is a signatory to FCTC and has tobacco control legislations in place

Strengthen implementation of FCTC guidelines and legislations

Healthy diet

Minimal organized efforts

Focus on control of saturated fats, trans fats, salt and alcohol

Industry initiatives for alternate strategies

Improved physical activity

Minimal organized efforts

Better urban planning with inter-ministerial collaboration

Worksite and school based interventions

Aggressive primary prevention and preventive healthcare delivery

Existing network of primary health centres, district hospitals, and teaching hospitals in public sector

Needs orientation to CVD and diabetes care

A larger number of private care providers, mostly unorganized and a smaller more organized corporate sector in urban areas

Needs quality control and standardization

Evidence based acute care and secondary prevention

Minimal and fractured

Better acute care

Chronic care delivery improvement and use of evidence based therapies