Union Minister of Science and Technology (Independent charge) Jitendra Singh, a nationally renowned Diabetologist announced that every third Indian is affected by fatty liver disease, which often precedes Type 2 Diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
He launched the Indo-French Liver and Metabolic Disease Network (InFLiMeN) at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in New Delhi, emphasizing the need for India-specific interventions due to our unique phenotype and the significant prevalence of metabolic disorders among the population.
The Indo-French Liver and Metabolic Disease Network (InFLiMeN), a virtual node aims at preventing and curing metabolic liver diseases.
The Minister revealed nearly 1 in 3 Indians has fatty liver. Dr. Singh pointed out that unlike the West, where Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is commonly linked to obesity, about 20% of NAFLD cases in India occur in non-obese patients.
Both the Indian subcontinent and Europe are attributable to changes in lifestyle, diet and importantly metabolic syndromes such as diabetes and obesity which have contributed to a significant rise in NAFLD. There is a considerable burden of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in India and France. He further added that both NAFLD and ALD exhibit a very similar progression from steatosis to steatohepatitis, cirrhosis and HCC.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology
Highlighting India's progress in the last decade in the health sector, Dr. Singh emphasized the urgent need for India-specific interventions, including the development of simple, low-cost diagnostic tests for the detection of different stages of fatty liver disease and their progression to more severe conditions suitable for the Indian context. These tests should be affordable and have a point of care.
The InFLiMeN initiative embodies a joint multi-disciplinary collaborative program essential for understanding the development, progression, and management of liver diseases.
Dr. Singh stressed the importance of cooperation between the government and private sectors to provide the best healthcare services and promote healthy living. He also stressed the government’s initiatives and policies aimed at supporting and improving the healthcare system. He appreciated the efforts of Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, DST, and the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (CEFIPERA) for supporting this innovative approach.
The Minister congratulated Dr. Shiv Kumar Sarin and his team, along with their French collaborators, for their contributions to this initiative. With 11 French and 17 Indian doctors working together, the node aims to find low-cost, high-output remedies for metabolic disorders.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Pratiksha Jadhav/MSM)
