Srinivasa Vara Prasad Vangala, India
I lost my childhood best friend "Chinna", we had grownup together with several memories of school and later. A very kind human and my best friend. As the years passed by, he got attracted to Alcohol and Tobacco which in its later stages, took over his life to a tragic end. All my effort to him bring back to normal life were in vain, as his addiction grew to an extreme extent, where nothing could save him. As the end result, he lost his health and wealth too. He was attacked by liver and lung disease which took away his life and left his family (wife, children) in poverty. Unfortunately, this is the reality for many people who live with NCDs in low- and middle-income groups, particularly India. Indeed, NCDs are expensive for patients. This ruins their families leaves them economically Vulnerable. The most worrying factor is that NCDs highlight the need for an increased commitment by countries to expedite Universal Health Coverage (UHC) – A Core Element of the SDGs. While it is also the hour of need to have collaborative partnerships among Governments, Civil Society, Private Sector and Multi National institutions to develop sustainable, scaleable solutions on high priority. There is dire need to focus on NCDs. Prevention and action via promoting healthy lifestyles so that future generations are aware of the risk of NCDs is also needed. We continue to pursue these efforts, especially our core focus on youth to build a healthy India.