World Health Organization

Citation

(2009), "World Health Organization", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 22 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2009.06222gab.001

World Health Organization

Article Type: News and views From: International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Volume 22, Issue 7

New network to combat non-communicable diseases

Edited by Jo Lamb-White

Keywords: Non-communicable diseases, Public healthcare, Healthcare improvement

Non-communicable diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, cancers, diabetes, respiratory diseases and common injuries account for the vast majority of all global deaths, but because they are not yet included as priorities in the global development agenda, donors and international organizations have yet to pledge support to help developing countries address these leading health problems.

As the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) met in Geneva to focus on global public health commitments, many health and development leaders called upon the international development community to integrate indicators on non-communicable diseases and injuries into the core Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) monitoring and evaluation system.

To support these efforts, WHO announced the launch of a network of leading organizations and experts from around the world. The network will scale up action to combat non-communicable diseases, strengthen global partnerships and help governments plan and implement measures to reduce the burden of these diseases.

The new Global Non-communicable Disease Network (NCDnet) will unite currently fragmented efforts by bringing the cancer, cardiovascular, diabetes and respiratory communities together with tobacco control, healthy diets and physical activity advocates.

“Integrating the prevention of non-communicable diseases and injuries into the national and global development agendas is not only achievable but also a priority for developing countries”, said Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Assistant Director-General for Non-communicable Diseases and Mental Health. “The goals of the new network are to increase focus on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, to increase resource availability and to catalyse effective multi-stakeholder action at global and country levels”.

Strengthened by the support of the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, and leading NGOs such as the World Heart Federation, the International Diabetes Federation and the International Union against Cancer, NCDnet will advocate for action to raise the priority accorded to non-communicable diseases in development work at global and national levels.

“Non-communicable diseases are a serious threat to global well-being”, said Richard Samans, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum. “They present a growing economic and social challenge for many developed and developing countries. At the World Economic Forum we are committed to working with WHO, and in collaboration with other international partners, to build an effective Global Non-communicable Disease Network”.

“The challenges policy-makers face include how to address the links between non-communicable diseases and poverty, how to minimize the health and economic losses among the economically active population, and how to prepare for the pressures on health systems resulting from the growing numbers of people with non-communicable diseases”, commented Joy Phumaphi, Vice-President of the Human Development Network of the World Bank.

“I want to highlight the glaring omission of non-communicable diseases in the Millennium Development Goals. I believe that this is a serious omission and this anomaly should be corrected. It is in this light that I propose we seriously consider an MDG-plus which would set goals for non-communicable diseases, as we have done for other public health challenges”, commented Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy of Guyana.

Non-communicable diseases cause 38 million deaths annually and together with injuries are responsible for 70 per cent of all global deaths, with 80 per cent of these deaths occurring in low-income and middle-income countries. WHO forecasts that globally, deaths from non-communicable diseases are likely to increase by 17 per cent over the next ten years, with the greatest increase projected in the African Region (27 per cent) followed by the Eastern Mediterranean Region (25 per cent).

For more information: www.who.int