Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh, a nationally renowned Diabetologist, announced that every third Indian suffers from fatty liver, a condition that precedes Type 2 Diabetes and other metabolic disorders. He emphasized this alarming statistic while launching the Indo-French Liver and Metabolic Disease Network (InFLiMeN), a virtual node aimed at preventing and curing metabolic liver diseases. The launch took place at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in New Delhi.

In his address, Dr. Jitendra Singh underscored the importance of InFLiMeN in tackling non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a prevalent metabolic liver disorder that can progress to cirrhosis and primary liver cancer. "NAFLD predates diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and many other illnesses," Dr. Singh noted. "As an endocrinologist, I understand the nuances of fatty liver and its relation with diabetes and other metabolic disorders."

Dr. Jitendra Singh, along with Dr. Shiv Kumar Sarin, Director of ILBS, and Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), emphasized the collaboration between India and France to address lifestyle and diet-related changes contributing to the rise of NAFLD. The Minister pointed out that while NAFLD in the West is often associated with obesity, in the Indian subcontinent, it occurs in about 20% of non-obese patients.

"There is a considerable burden of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in both India and France," Dr. Singh added. "Both NAFLD and ALD show a similar progression from steatosis to steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)." He highlighted India's advancements in healthcare, stating that the country has become a global leader in both curative and preventive healthcare.

Dr. Singh stressed the urgent need for simple, low-cost diagnostic tests to detect different stages of fatty liver and their progression to severe diseases. He advocated for a joint multi-disciplinary collaborative program like InFLiMeN to understand the development, progression, and management of liver diseases using a comprehensive omics approach for biomarker discovery.

The Minister emphasized the importance of cooperation between the government and the private sector to provide the best services to citizens and promote healthy living. He highlighted the government's initiatives and policies aimed at improving the healthcare system, stating, "A large population in India is affected by metabolic disorders, and we need India-specific interventions as our phenotype is different. We need Indian solutions for Indian problems."

Dr. Singh called for generous funding for cutting-edge science and expressed his belief that the virtual node would soon become a real node. He assured that his departments would support the node in every possible manner and appreciated Prof. Abhay Karandikar, the DST, and the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (CEFIPERA) for their novel approach proposed by ILBS.

The Minister congratulated Dr. Shiv Kumar Sarin and his team, along with their French collaborators. He urged them to find low-cost, high-output remedies for metabolic disorders. Currently, 11 French and 17 Indian doctors are working jointly in this node.

The launch of InFLiMeN marks a significant step in the fight against metabolic liver diseases, promising improved healthcare outcomes through international collaboration and innovation.