New Delhi | Health experts stressed the need to make preventive healthcare along with treatment a national priority at a programme held on the eve of National Doctors' Day in Delhi, calling for early screening, healthier lifestyles and greater public awareness to reduce India's growing disease burden.
The event was held by Illness to Wellness Foundation, where healthcare leaders, senior doctors, policymakers and wellness experts discussed the need to shift the country's healthcare approach from treating illness to promoting wellness, the organisation said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the organisation, diplomats from Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Ireland and Jordan also attended the event, which focused on strengthening preventive healthcare and improving public health outcomes.
During the programme, the Illness to Wellness Foundation's Annual Report 2025-26 was released by former Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, former Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Prof Nirmal Kumar Ganguly and the Foundation's Advisory Council Chairperson Anil Rajput.
The report highlighted the organisation's activities over the past year, including health awareness campaigns, community outreach, school health programmes, workplace wellness initiatives and preventive health screening drives. It also outlined collaborations to promote early diagnosis, healthier lifestyles and support public health campaigns such as the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan and the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Bhushan said India has made significant progress in expanding healthcare access and treatment infrastructure, but the next phase of the country's healthcare journey must place equal emphasis on prevention.
"A prevention-first approach, supported by regular screening, early diagnosis, healthier lifestyles and greater public awareness, can substantially reduce the burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases," he said.
Rajput said doctors today play a broader role beyond treating diseases by educating and guiding people towards healthier lives.
He said building a healthier society requires greater awareness, preventive measures and healthier lifestyles in addition to hospitals and medicines.
Ganguly said obesity has emerged as one of India's biggest health challenges and is a major contributor to non-communicable diseases.
He stressed the importance of regular exercise, yoga, meditation, balanced nutrition and adequate rest, while noting that very few Indians proactively seek preventive healthcare.
Prof G C Khilnani, chairman of PSRI Institute of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, said regular health check-ups, balanced nutrition, physical activity, vaccination, good hygiene and timely medical consultation could significantly reduce the burden of lifestyle and seasonal diseases.
Senior orthopaedic surgeon Dr Yash Gulati said maintaining mobility through physical activity from an early age could help prevent several age-related musculoskeletal conditions and called preventive healthcare a lifelong commitment rather than an occasional health check-up.
The organisation said it will continue to promote preventive healthcare through awareness campaigns, community engagement and health screening programmes aimed at encouraging healthier lifestyles.
Experts at the event agreed that while India's healthcare system has expanded access to treatment, the next phase of healthcare transformation should be driven by prevention and informed lifestyle choices, supported by regular health screening and technology.