Jakarta: Governments and their partners need to make prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) a top priority in WHO’s South-East Asia Region. The participants in the Regional Meeting on Health and Development Challenges of Noncommunicable Diseases urged action to combat the rising burden of NCDs in the “Jakarta Call for Action” today.
NCDs are the leading cause of death in the 11 Member States of WHO’s South-East Asia Region, accounting for 54% of all deaths. The rapidly rising trend of NCDs threaten poverty alleviation efforts and economic growth in the Region.
NCDs have a substantial economic impact because working-age adults account for a high proportion of the NCD burden in the Region. NCDs will reduce the Gross Domestic Product by an estimated 1-5 per cent in low- and middle-income countries experiencing rapid economic growth. This silent epidemic plunges people into poverty and is a barrier to economic development.
However, NCD prevention and control programmes have remained a low priority and are not included in the Millennium Development Goals. As a developmental and societal issue, NCDs deserve to be given priority within official development assistance. “WHO calls for investment in the primary health care approach to address NCDs, particularly focusing on health promotion and primary prevention,” stated Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia. The primary health care approach is one of the most important strategies for combating NCDs.
NCDs are largely preventable by effective and feasible public health interventions that tackle the major modifiable risk factors--tobacco use, improper diet, physical inactivity, and harmful use of alcohol. However, poverty, low levels of literacy and limited access to health care are important social determinants and are an additional challenge for NCD prevention and control efforts.
“Action by health ministries alone will not be adequate to reverse the NCD epidemic as the role of other sectors will be vital for creating environments to promote healthy lifestyles”, said Dr Plianbangchang.
WHO also calls for more evidence-based approaches in NCDs management. Key players must translate the information into actions. Verbal commitments must also be translated into concrete allocations of human and financial resources. Governments must prioritize NCDs in its health policies and programmes, including increased budgets. To be effective, NCDs prevention and control programmes require coordinated and collaborative action by multiple sectors, including the private sector, media, education, and civil society.
In preparation for the upcoming UN High-level Meeting on NCDs to be held in New York, the Jakarta Call has been made to galvanize various sectors into action at global and national levels in order to address the health and socioeconomic impact of NCDs in a more comprehensive manner through coordinated, effective approaches.