The range of challenges in the healthcare sector includes insufficient infrastructure, a scarcity of healthcare professionals, disparities between urban and rural areas, limited health insurance coverage, inadequate funding for public healthcare, and a fragmented healthcare system. India is also grappling with an increase in the burden of non-communicable diseases, which poses a significant hurdle for its healthcare system [1]. This issue is compounded by the country's growing prosperity. While economic progress is positive, the inability to keep up with the rising healthcare demands is having a profound impact on the population.
One specific disease that falls under this category is peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and chronic limb threatening ischemia, which is a subset of cardiovascular disease. According to a report by The Lancet in 2023, India has a significantly higher burden of cardiovascular disease compared to global levels. For instance, the age-standardized death rate for cardiovascular disease in India (282 deaths per 100,000 (264–293)) is higher than the global average (233 deaths per 100,000 (229–236)) [2,3]. However, the prevalence of PAD in India is only 3%. This disparity clearly indicates that PAD is not as prevalent as cardiovascular disease in the country. Consequently, PAD is often severe and undiagnosed due to the focus on other aspects of cardiovascular disease.
To address these healthcare challenges and reduce the burden of diseases like PAD, it is crucial to strengthen India's healthcare infrastructure, increase the number of healthcare professionals, bridge the gap between urban and rural areas in terms of healthcare access, expand health insurance coverage, allocate more funds to public healthcare, and improve coordination within the healthcare system. By doing so, India can effectively meet the growing healthcare demands and provide better care for its population.
The lack of resources, education, and consequent limited treatment options contribute to this unfortunate state of affairs. With a population of 1.4 billion people and scarce resources, certain diseases remain undetected or undiagnosed. Despite causing significant patient morbidity and mortality, the diagnosis and treatment of PAD and CLTI fall far short of what is necessary.
Our mission aims to meet the undeniable need for more education and treatment in this area.
1) Cureus. 2023 May; 15(5): e39079.
2) Mohan V, Premalatha G, Sastry NG. Peripheral vascular disease in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in south India. Diabetes Res
Clin Pract. Mar 1995;27(3):235-240.
3) Premalatha G, Shanthirani S, Deepa R, Markovitz J, Mohan V. Prevalence and risk factors of peripheral vascular disease in a selected
South Indian population: the Chennai Urban Population Study. Diabetes Care. Sep 2000;23(9):1295-1300.
