Mumbai (PTI): Aiming to provide affordable medicines in rural areas and to combat chronic diseases in the country, Pharma major Piramal Group in collaboration with ASSOCHAM and various NGOs launched a project here on Saturday.

The Programme ‘help-your-body’, inaugurated by former President APJ Abdul Kalam, will emphasis on imparting knowledge on healthy food for healthy body and target each and every individual.

“Genetic causes, obesity, stress, inappropriate dietary habits and lack of exercise play a major role in causing chronic ailments,” Swati Piramal, Piramal Group’s Director said.

According to a WHO report, 38.8 core people will die in the next ten years due to chronic diseases and a significant proportion would be from India.

“India is expected to be the chronic disease capital with over 70 million diabetics, 213 million hypertensive patients and 60 million with arthritis by 2025. We feel the government, the private sector, the medical fraternity, NGOs should come together against the onslaught of chronic diseases,” Piramal said.

Kalam suggested that the group should integrate various systems of medicine such as Allopathy, Ayurveda, homeopathy, Unani, Siddha and yoga available in the country to fight chronic ailments at an affordable cost.
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