Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 11: India urgently needs a unified national strategy on ageing and mental health to address the alarming rise in Alzheimer’s disease, health experts have said in a recent editorial published in the Indian Journal of Public Health.
With over 5.3 million Indians currently living with dementia—a figure expected to nearly triple by 2050—experts are pushing for a comprehensive National Dementia Plan aligned with the WHO’s global framework. They argue that Alzheimer’s must be seen not just as a clinical issue, but as part of a broader ageing and public health challenge.
“India needs to act early, invest smartly, and plan humanely,” said Dr. K. Madan Gopal, one of the editorial’s co-authors and advisor to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. In a post on LinkedIn, he emphasized the need to make Alzheimer’s care central to India’s health system reform and social protection agenda.
The editorial advocates integrating cognitive health screening into primary care, enhancing long-term care models, supporting caregivers, and investing in research on dementia risk factors. It also recommends leveraging existing healthcare infrastructure like Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (expanded Health and Wellness Centres) to offer community-level screening, counselling, and referrals.
Experts also highlighted the potential of telemedicine platforms like eSanjeevani, and memory clinics to make dementia care more accessible, especially in rural areas.
Drawing on the success of India's large-scale public health initiatives—such as the COVID-19 vaccination drive, HPV pilot programmes, and nutrition campaigns—the editorial urges similar mission-mode efforts for Alzheimer’s care.
A national dementia strategy, the experts say, should include:
• Mass awareness campaigns to reduce stigma;
• Community participation to encourage early help-seeking;
• Standardised care guidelines across all health system levels;
• Public-private partnerships to expand memory clinics and affordable assistive technologies;
• Caregiver training to improve quality of life for both patients and families.
“Together, such an approach can build an inclusive and resilient framework for dementia care in India,” the experts concluded.