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Every year, about 16 million people die before the age of 70 from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like heart and lung ailments, cancer, stroke and diabetes, says a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO). And over 80 per cent of them occur in low and middle-income countries.
But the global community has the chance to change the course of the NCD epidemic, says WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, by investing $1-3 per person per year.
Starting this year, countries need to set national targets and implement cost-effective actions, she said, “If they do not, millions of lives will continue to be lost too soon.”
Lessons learntPremature NCD deaths are preventable. Of the 38 million lives lost to NCDs in 2012, 16 million or 42 per cent were premature and avoidable — up from 14.6 million in 2000. The report provides a perspective on lessons learnt, since the world is nearly five years into the global effort to reduce premature deaths from NCDs by 25 per cent by 2025. Government policies to reduce tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity, and delivering universal healthcare play a significant role in reducing premature NCD deaths.
In Brazil, the NCD mortality rate dropped 1.8 per cent annually, partly due to the expansion of primary healthcare.
Source: WHO
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