New Delhi: More than 50 per cent of those consulting doctors in the country are for either sexual or mental problems, according to a report released today.
According to the ‘Lybrate Healthscape India 2015’ report, the top seven health issues in the country are sexual (32 per cent), mental (21 pc), lifestyle-related (15 pc), diet and nutrition-related (12 pc), women’s health (11 pc), skin health (5 pc) and child health (4 pc).
Lybrate, India’s largest online doctor consultation platform, came up with the data after analysing around 50 million interactions that happened on the platform over a period of 12 months, starting January 1 this year.
“Though people have become relatively vocal to discuss these issues once considered a taboo for public discourse, the tendency to yet not discuss these openly suppresses the real healthcare picture of the country,” said Saurabh Arora, CEO, Lybrate.
Non-availability of reliable healthcare data is a stumbling block in India and prevents deeper insights into patterns of diseases for devising meaningful strategies targeted at treatment and research and development.
“We have garnered ample data that provides a vital peek into valuable information pertaining to health and diseases with respect to different geographies, gender and age groups,” said Arora, adding that interactions are defined by cumulative sum of searches for doctors, health queries sought, patient-doctor communication and appointments booked.
While lifestyle diseases, especially cardiovascular ailments and hypertension, had been prevalent in Tier 1 cities, the data shows that these were now taking root in Tier 2 & 3 cities owing to change in living habits and this is disturbing. However, the report mentions that people were also inquisitive to know about preventive measures, diet and nutrition and wellbeing.