The Centre for Knowledge & Development (CKD) and the Indian Medical Association (IMA), with support from Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), launched – Engaging Physicians for Sodium Reduction in India – an initiative to engage physicians across India in salt reduction.
The initiative, which aims to make salt reduction a routine part of preventive and clinical care, supports physicians to counsel patients on cutting salt and choosing healthier food, and to safely recommend lower-sodium salt substitutes (LSSS). Clinical experts, policy stakeholders and public health leaders collaborated to develop a training manual, launched as part of the initiative, that brings together evidence on salt and health, guidance on LSSS, and practical counselling tools and low-salt recipes physicians can use with patients every day.
Government stakeholders, clinicians, professional associations, academics and public health experts attended the launch. A series of physician training webinars will follow to expand engagement with physicians across India.
High salt intake remains a major and preventable contributor to hypertension, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. Because physicians are among the most trusted sources of health information for patients and communities, physician counselling on cutting salt can help lower blood pressure at scale.
