Diseases knock billions off India’s income-India-The Times of India

Diseases knock billions off India’s income-India-The Times of India: "Diseases knock billions off India’s income 13 Sep 2007, 0131 hrs IST,Sujata Dutta Sachdeva,TNN Print Save EMail Write to Editor NEW DELHI: While the Indian economy is in robust health, the same cannot be said about the country’s workforce. In 2005 alone, the estimated loss to our national income from diseases like heart ailments, stroke and diabetes, was a staggering $9 billion. And, these losses are expected to mount in the near future. Over the next 10 years, India may lose more than $200 billion due to employee sickness. Some firms are already losing about 14% of their annual working days — more than 51 days in a year — due to illnesses in its workforce. Not surprising, since the per capita government health expenditure in India is one of the lowest in the world — a dismal $7 as against $2,548 in the US. In fact, public spending on health has stagnated at 0.9% of the GDP since the mid-1980s. These are some of the findings released by Indian Council For Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) in its study 'Impact of Preventive Healthcare on Indian Industry and Economy’."