To tackle the ever-growing menace of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) among the IT professionals in IT and other corporate organizations, the ‘Prevent NCD Foundation’ has launched a project called Health Awareness Promotion Project India (HAPPI) in Hyderabad. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard has been signed between Shakti Sagar Managing Director, ADP Pvt Ltd and Dr B Ramesh Babu, founder, Prevent NCD Foundation and managing director of Medwin Hospital.

The HAPPI project is supported by eminent cardiologists, entrepreneurs and fitness management experts.

The project is a great step forward to create awareness among the working professionals who are the victims of NCDs like cancer, diabetes, cardiac disease and other ailments. As the modern work style in IT companies is highly stressful and allows the employees with least physical movement, they are very much prone to stress related NCDs like hypertension and increase in blood glucose which the cause of other diseases.

From the recent statistics of World Health Organization (WHO) it is understood that about 60 per cent i.e. about 35 million of global deaths are caused by the NCDs, of these 80 per cent are occurring in developing BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries. “The change in life style at work places especially in the IT companies is the main cause of rise in cardiovascular diseases and diabetes at a young age of 30 years in India. It has been evident in the recent past that many youngsters from IT firms have been complaining of heart diseases which is the main cause of concern. Given this scenario we felt it was right cause to support HAPPI,” said Shakti Sagar.

“With growing NCDs and work stress related diseases, the global mortality figures are projected to increase by 17 per cent by the year 2015. 9 per cent of these diseases are of those under 65 years of age and 90 per cent of those occur in under developed countries,” said, Dr B Ramesh Babu, managing director, Medwin Hospital.

As a part of HAPPI project, the work force at HAPPI will reach out to local IT corporations and conduct online employee NCD risk assessment and assists corporations wellness committees to develop and manage NCD prevention awareness programs in the workplace.

“Indians are at a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes especially in their 30s and this has a tremendous impact on workplace productivity because of employee absence,” said Dr Ravi Bathina, director, South Asian Institute of preventive Cardiology (SAIPC) at CARE Group of Hospitals.