NEW DELHI: Soldiers in the Army’s junior commissioned officer and other ranks (JCOs/OR) are significantly less affected by lifestyle diseases than the general population, with hypertension and diabetes levels at roughly half the national average.
At the same time, officers, who serve longer and retire later, continue to show a disproportionately higher burden of such ailments, the government has told Parliament.
Data submitted by the Ministry of Defence to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) shows that as of December 31, 2023, 9.61 per cent of JCOs/OR personnel were suffering from hypertension and 2.78 per cent from diabetes mellitus type II. In comparison, nationwide prevalence stands at 18.3 per cent for hypertension and 4.9 per cent for diabetes, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted between 2019 and 2021.
The ministry attributed the lower incidence among soldiers to sustained health monitoring, preventive policies and regular awareness measures aimed at controlling lifestyle diseases within the force.
The data was submitted as part of the government’s action taken report on the PAC’s earlier observations on disability pensions in the Army, tabled in Parliament on Wednesday. The panel had flagged concern over a relatively high proportion of officers retiring with disabilities, with hypertension and diabetes accounting for a significant share.
It had sought detailed data on prevalence across ranks, along with remedial measures and a root cause analysis to better understand the underlying factors.
The ministry said the figures for JCOs/OR were compiled from record offices across Army arms and services up to the end of 2023.
The PAC had also observed that medical officers show a higher incidence of lifestyle-related disabilities compared to other officers. It linked this to irregular working hours and limited ability to maintain healthy routines, along with earlier detection due to greater medical awareness.
The defence ministry, however, said such comparisons need to be viewed in context, as the dataset includes officers from the Military Nursing Service and non-technical streams. It added that corrective steps have been introduced, including a policy mandating that release medical boards for medical officers be conducted at hospitals commanded by brigadier rank officers or above and outside their immediate area of responsibility.
The committee also pointed to structural factors influencing the data. While officers retire at an average age of 54 years, personnel below officer rank retire much earlier, around 35 years, typically between 37 and 45 years. Since lifestyle diseases tend to manifest later in life, detection rates are correspondingly higher among officers.
The PAC has reiterated its demand for a detailed assessment of the effectiveness of existing interventions and any new strategies to reduce the burden of lifestyle diseases in the armed forces.
The ministry further said that while the SPARSH pension system captures detailed disability data, including category and disease, it does not record the age at onset, as this is not required for sanctioning disability pensions.
The committee has now sought more granular, category wise disability data along with disease specific analysis to better assess trends and policy outcomes.