Media Release

39 million lives could be saved by 2030 by introducing a cost-effective package of prevention and treatment interventions for chronic diseases 

Monday 5 September 2022, (Geneva, Switzerland) - The Global Week for Action on NCDs begins today, bringing together civil society organisations and individuals around the world calling  governments to significantly increase funding for noncommunicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease, and save 39 million lives by 2030 in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).  

Over 25 per cent of the world’s nearly eight billion people live with at least one chronic condition, or noncommunicable disease. Each year NCDs cut short 41 million lives and drive millions of people into poverty.  

A paper recently published in the Lancet Countdown 2030 as a part of the NCD Countdown 2030 initiative, demonstrated that by introducing a cost-effective package of 21 NCD prevention and treatment interventions in LMICs, where 85% of premature deaths from NCDs occur (between the ages of 30-70), governments can generate an economic benefit of US$2·7 trillion, or US$390 per capita in LMICs, between 2023 and 2030. 

Implementing this set of interventions would require an additional investment of US$18 billion annually over the same seven-year period. If ministries of health contribute 20% of their budgets, they would collectively reach this sum. The economic benefits of implementing this package outweigh the investment by 19:1.

“The bottom line is that governments can reap substantial economic rewards, in both the short- and long-run, by taking bold action on NCDs and thus ensuring the fiscal sustainability of their health systems”, said Katie Dain, CEO of the NCD Alliance. 

“What makes the imperative for action on NCDs even stronger is that many NCDs can be delayed or prevented through a set of cost-effective interventions. We have the solutions, we have the tools, we have the know-how to prevent and treat NCDs. What's needed is political will at the highest level to invest in and prioritize NCDs. That’s what the Global Week for Action on NCDs is calling for in 2022.”

The Global Week for Action is a united call to address the human and economic toll of NCDs. In total the five leading NCDs – cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory conditions, cardiovascular diseases and mental health conditions – are estimated to cost more than US$2 trillion per year (US$ 47 trillion from 2010 to 2030).  

A virtual event "Invest to protect: NCD financing as the foundation for healthy societies and economies·, will dig on what entails to invest in NCDs. Co-hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) and the NCD Alliance (NCDA), and with opening remarks by Dr Tedros, WHO Director-General, and Mr Michael Bloomberg, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries. The event will take place on Thursday 8 September, 9:30 - 11:00 EDT / 15:30 - 17:00 CET. It will be simultaneously translated into Spanish and French. Register here

The Global Week for Action on NCDs is a campaign by the NCD Alliance.