Lifestyle' diseases hit India's IT workers

India's rapid economic growth could be slowed by a sharp rise in the prevalence of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, and the successful information technology industry is likely to be the hardest hit, a study has found.

So-called lifestyle diseases are estimated to have wiped $9bn (£4.4bn) off the country's national income in 2005, but the cost could reach more than £100bn over the next 10 years if corrective action is not taken soon, the report claims.

The study by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations says that although India's boom has brought spiralling corporate profits and higher incomes for employees, it has also led to a surge in workplace stress and lifestyle diseases. The health minister, Anbumani Ramadoss, said his biggest concern was the IT industry, which has grown rapidly on the boom in international outsourcing in recent years.

"It's the fastest-growing industry in our country, but it is most vulnerable to lifestyle diseases," Mr Ramadoss said. "Its future growth could be stunted if we don't address the problem now." Long working hours, night shifts and a sedentary lifestyle make people employed at such companies prone to heart disease and diabetes, the report said.
There have also been growing reports of depression and family breakdown in the industry.
Infosys Technologies, India's second-largest software exporter, has a 24-hour hotline for employees suffering from depression to contact psychiatrists.

"We must have prevented at least 30 deaths from suicide because of this hotline," said Richard Lobo, a company director. "In Bangalore the psychiatrists say their Saturdays are reserved for marriage counselling for the IT sector," he added. Infosys introduced a work-life balance plan several years ago, Mr Lobo said. But less than a third of companies in the industry conduct regular health checks or provide similar support, the study said.
Ravi Kasliwal, a cardiologist at New Delhi's Indraprastha hospital, said heart disease was projected to account for 35% of deaths among India's working-age population between 2000 and 2030, citing data from the World Health Organisation. India's per capita health spending of £3.40 is one of the lowest in the world.

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