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COVID-19 Has ‘Severely’ Disrupted Chronic Disease Care, WHO Warns (1 June 2020)
(Health Policy Watch) — A new survey by WHO has found that the COVID-19 pandemic has ‘severely’ disrupted the delivery of services to prevent and treat non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in almost 80% of countries surveyed – or 122 out of 150 countries.
NCD Alliance accuses SA for neglecting non-communicable diseases and prioritising COVID19 (9 May 2020)
(SABC News) — The NCD Alliance has accused South Africa of neglecting non-communicable diseases and prioritising COVID19, HIV and TB. Non-communicable diseases include lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, obesity and cancers. They account for about 41 million deaths globally each year. This comes as health experts have warned of an upsurge in non-communicable diseases.
Risk for known diseases spikes as focus shifts to COVID-19 (8 May 2020)
(Gulf Times) — As Covid-19 deaths climb ever higher in Europe and the United States, millions of lives are at risk in developing nations where lockdowns and overwhelmed medical systems are disrupting vital testing, vaccination and treatment for other killer diseases. The pandemic has seen unprecedented social distancing measures, with billions confined to their homes in a bid to stem the viral spread. Schools, businesses and public spaces have been shuttered en masse.
Millions at risk from known diseases as focus shifts to COVID-19 (7 May 2020)
(France 24) — As Covid-19 deaths climb ever higher in Europe and the United States, millions of lives are at risk in developing nations where lockdowns and overwhelmed medical systems are disrupting vital testing, vaccination and treatment for other killer diseases. The pandemic has seen unprecedented social distancing measures, with billions confined to their homes in a bid to stem the viral spread. Schools, businesses and public spaces have been shuttered en masse. It has also fuelled unparalleled economic stimuli from governments and research funding to develop Covid-19 treatments and — the holy grail — a vaccine.
Op-ed: Want to be a COVID-19 survivor? Check your comorbidities (5 May 2020)
(IPP Media) — Comorbidities. It's an ugly word that has become rather ominous during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most people who get really sick from the virus have "underlying conditions" - other diseases that put them at particular risk.
What about other non-communicable diseases? (5 May 2020)
(City Press) — The country – and the world – is continuing to focus on the fight against the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, moving with tunnel vision and ploughing human and financial resources into curbing the spread of the infectious virus. But experts are cautioning against neglecting other crucial health interventions, particularly targeting equally deadly non-communicable diseases (NCDs), as well as the all-important immunisation and vaccination programmes.
Need to reboot health care system to also focus on non-Covid patients (4 May 2020)
(Hindustan Times) — Many hospitals that had shut down non-essential care services and postponed elective surgeries to lower crowding and free up health staff to treat coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients will begin working to capacity once the lockdown lifts, but operations are unlikely to return to what they were before.
People with cancer, diabetes at higher risk of COVID-19, experts warn (29 April 2020)
(HealthWise) — The Non-Communicable Disease Alliance has warned that persons undergoing treatment for cancer, diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are at higher risk of developing complications from COVID-19. Speaking at a media briefing on COVID-19 and Non-Communicable Diseases: Lessons learned from around the world’ on Wednesday, Chief Executive Officer of NCD Alliance, Katie Dain, said emerging evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic had indicated a close link between COVID-19 and NCDs.
Time to stop brushing oral health (20 March 2020)
(Media Planet) — Oral health continues to be one of the most neglected areas of global health. The tragedy is that oral disease is a silent epidemic afflicting some 3.58 billion people—more than half the world’s population—while it’s largely preventable.
NCD threat: falling on deaf ears (3 March 2020)
(The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology) — The NCD epidemic constitutes a crisis that has escalated well beyond the health sector, and an effective response must reflect such understanding and vision. As stated by Katie Dain, CEO of the NCD Alliance, “Unless the gaps in the response are addressed, we'll be faced in 2030 with a tsunami of disease-related impacts, both human and economic, that could have been avoided.” The message is loud and clear. When will we finally listen?
WHO hits out at junk food companies as ‘twin-pronged’ nutrition crisis hits global growth and development goals (15 December 2019)
(The Telegraph, London, UK) — The World Health Organization has hit out at the world's largest processed food manufacturers, accusing them of fuelling a new global health crisis [...] Katie Dain, chief executive of the Non Communicable Disease Alliance (NCD Alliance), welcomed the report. “This report reiterates that malnutrition has many faces, and diet-related NCDs like cancers, diabetes, heart disease and obesity are now two sides of the same coin,” she said.
‘Better Health, Better Lives’: Norway Launches The World’s First Development Strategy On NCDs (11 December 2019)
(Health Policy Watch, Geneva, Switzerland) — On 22 November, the Norwegian government broke new ground for the non-communicable disease response. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched the first international development strategy to focus on combatting NCDs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The NCD Alliance, the Norwegian Cancer Society and other civil society partners around the world have heralded this as a major milestone. I had the pleasure of attending and speaking at the launch event of “Better Health, Better Lives” in Oslo. But why is this such a big deal and what are the broader implications?
A “whole of society” approach to non-communicable diseases must include civil society organisations (6 December 2019)
The responses to HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and climate change provide examples for civil society engagement in NCDs, says Katie Dain. This article is part of the Solutions for Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases collection by the WHO Global Coordination Mechanism on NCDs and The BMJ.
Opinion: Put communities at the centre of universal health coverage (21 October 2019)
(STAT, Boston, USA) — The Political Declaration on Universal Health Coverage, adopted recently at the United Nations General Assembly, could set the stage for a fairer world in which health is viewed as a human right and not as a commodity. On paper, we have a compact that enshrines the idea of universality. At the local, state, and country levels it will mean healthier populations and greater global health equity.
Governments should fight air pollution from fossil fuels like they fight tobacco use (1 October 2019)
(STAT, Boston, USA) — Imagine driving into a gas station to fill up your car’s gas tank and seeing this stark notice affixed to the pump: “Warning: Burning fossil fuels kills.” Tobacco packages all over the world display warnings like that. It makes sense, since tobacco kills as many as 8 million people a year around the globe. Burning fossil fuel doesn’t get the same kind of attention, even though the toxic air pollution it creates kills 7 million people a year.
Opinion: From health for all to all for health (21 August2019)
(Devex.com) — With negotiations on the political declaration for the first U.N. High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage nearing conclusion in New York, many governments will be reflecting on what their commitment to “health for all” means back home. While their leaders have already signed on to numerous global health and sustainable development targets and commitments over the years, this September’s high-level meeting has ambitions to go beyond individual health issues.
Opinion: time to deliver on older women's health (1 July 2019)
(Devex.com) — Leveling the playing field earlier in a woman’s life has exponential impacts across her lifetime, explain Katie Dain, CEO at NCD Alliance, and Kate Bunting, CEO at Help Age USA. Older women face unique barriers to accessing primary health care, especially in low-income countries. Inequality on so many levels — unpaid care responsibilities, denial of education, discrimination, and poorer nutrition, accrues over a woman's life and is a significant determinant of health in older age. The cumulative impact of this inequality is the primary reason why access to health services is that much more difficult for women when they are older.
Noncommunicable diseases among women: a ‘slow motion disaster’ (21 March 2019)
(STAT, Boston, USA) — Childbirth and infectious diseases were once the leading causes of death among women around the globe. That’s changed over the last three decades. Today, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), once considered diseases of affluence, are, along with injuries, the leading causes of death and disability among women in developing and developed countries alike. Noncommunicable diseases affect women and children across the life-course: They are a critical issue for child and adolescent health, a threat to maternal and reproductive health, and a major driver of ill health for older women.
2018 UN high level meeting on NCDs: Key outcomes and flaws (14 October 2018)
(The New Times, Rwanda) — Since its first ever edition in 2010, the UN High Level Meeting on NCDs has proved to be the high decision-making and most influential platform to discuss how governments can tackle Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and shape the future in terms of prevention and control.
The world needs tighter alcohol policies – study (8 October 2018)
(City Press) By Vuyo Mkize — There is trouble brewing. And if countries across the world don’t increase taxes, restrict advertising and regulate the age of buyers as well as the times when and places where people can buy alcohol, they will continue suffering a bitter population-threatening hangover from the consequences of harmful alcohol use.
Africa doesn’t need UN resolution to buy blood pressure machines (8 October 2018)
(Daily Monitor, Uganda), By David Mulabi — Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) – such as hypertension, stroke, cancers and diabetes are no longer just a health issue. They are a major contributor to poverty and underdevelopment in Africa due to the vicious interaction between low incomes, chronic ill health and medical impoverishment.
Diabetes and TB: Top killer diseases feed on each other (1 October)
(DailyMaverick) — Over one week, two UN high level meetings were held on health matters – with virtually no interaction between the two. But diabetes, cancer and depression have a major impact on tuberculosis. If we treat them in silos, we won’t overcome them.
After tobacco, public health bodies turn up the heat on alcohol (29 September)
(TheWeek.in) — Alcohol is killing us. And, governments need to get its their together. This is a message from the World Health Organisation. The international public health body has just released a new roadmap called 'SAFER', which it says will help countries, including India, tailor policies to control alcohol consumption.
UN meeting on NCDs falls short on hard commitments, civil society say (28 September)
(Devex) UNITED NATIONS — The third United Nations high-level meeting on noncommunicable diseases may result in a broader dialogue, but will not likely lead to any immediate new financing or strong global commitments.
World ignores the dangers of alcoholism - global health organisations (27 September)
(Zwnews.com) — Some global health organisatoins have called on world leaders engaged at the United Nations General Assembly 2018 in New York to enact life-saving policies that regulate alcohol production, availability and consumption.
At NCD summit, a push to address ignored disease burden (26 September)
(Devex) MANILA — More than two-thirds of global deaths each year can be traced to noncommunicable diseases, a new study by The Lancet has found.
World leaders place lifestyle choices and health back on the individual (26 September)
(Daily Maverick) Global leaders have put the onus on individuals to reduce “lifestyle” diseases rather than cracking down on industry in a global declaration to be adopted at today’s UN High Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases.
‘Trouble Brewing’ report highlights steps that governments can take to reduce alcohol-related harms (25 September)
(Medical.net) — Alcohol is a leading contributor to death and disability worldwide, but governments haven’t responded to the issue with the attention, resources and action this urgent issue requires, says “Trouble Brewing,” a new report from global health and development organizations, Vital Strategies, the NCD Alliance, IOGT International and the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance (GAPA).
Release of NCD Countdown (20 September 2018):
Australian men die earlier from chronic disease than Bahrain (29 September 2018)
(TheNewDaily.com) — Australian men have a higher risk of dying early from chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes and heart and lung disease compared to men in Bahrain, South Korea and Iceland, a global analysis has revealed.
Globally, losing the fight against cancer and other chronic diseases (21 September 2018)
(CNN.com) — More than half of all UN countries will fail to honor their commitment to reduce premature deaths from cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes by 2030, a new analysis predicts.
Global push to cut deaths from cancer and heart disease wildly off course (21 September 2018)
(The Guardian) — More than half of all countries will not meet global targets to cut deaths from cancer, heart disease and other chronic conditions, according to a report in the Lancet.
Most nations to miss UN target on chronic diseases: study (20 September 2018)
(AFP) PARIS — More than half of all countries will likely fail to hit the UN target of reducing premature deaths from a quartet of chronic diseases by a third before 2030, researchers said Friday.
Brits killer habits (20 September 2018)
(The Sun) — Sick Brits have a higher risk of dying early from conditions like cancer, heart disease and stroke than people in Italy, South Korea and Australia, a massive study of 180 countries has revealed.
UK likely to fall short of UN target for reducing premature deaths from chronic disease (20 September 2018)
(ITV) — People in the UK have a higher risk of dying early from conditions such as cancer, heart disease and stroke than in Italy, France, South Korea and Australia, a major study has found.
United Nations Meeting On Noncommunicable Diseases: “A Make Or Break Moment” (20 September 2018)
(Health Policy Watch) — After falling short of achieving commitments made at the first and second United Nations high-level meetings on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in recent years, the third high-level meeting on NCDs taking place next week presents an opportunity for world leaders to either step up their response, or risk falling further behind, according to stakeholders.
NCDs: Where the future development jobs will be (18 September)
(Devex) — More than 80 percent of noncommunicable diseases affect populations in low- or middle-income countries — yet NCDs aren’t always considered a development issue.
What about women? The case for gendered NCD policies (13 September 2018)
(Devex) — According to a report published by the Global Health 50/50 initiative earlier this year on gender equity among organizations focusing on public health, “[g]ender determinants of health are among the most significant social determinants of health outcomes.”
The divisive issue stalling both NCD, TB negotiations (17 August 2018)
(Devex) MANILA — The United Nations high-level meetings on tuberculosis and noncommunicable diseases take place next month, but member states are still at the negotiation table.
Communicating noncommunicable diseases (13 August 2018)
(Devex) BARCELONA — The terms "noncommunicable diseases" and “NCDs” don't exactly lend themselves to snappy and exciting communications campaigns and, for many, the definition isn’t clear.
Pro Morning Health Care: Civil society hits 'weak' NCD declaration (10 August 2018)
(POLITICO) - For the umbrella group of NGOs fighting non-communicable diseases, the bright side is that world leaders aren’t backsliding on their commitments compared to previous years. That was “one of the big fears” as negotiations wrap up on the high-level declaration on NCDs ahead of September’s U.N. General Assembly, according to Katie Dain, CEO of the NCD Alliance.
Doing it for the kids: Engaging youth to help lift burden of NCDs (10 August 2018)
(Devex) - As more and more countries become aware of the dangers of noncommunicable diseases, governments, NGOs, and international organizations are searching for effective policies and interventions that can prevent the onset of disease — not just for individuals, but entire populations.
Just what is 'civil society (1 August 2018)
(PLOS Blogs) - How does civil society ‘look and feel’ in the context of noncommunicable disease prevention and treatment?
Renewed calls for sugar, tobacco and alcohol taxes (18 June 2018)
(Scoop) - A Massey University professor is among an international group drawn from academia and international agencies, including the Word Bank, United Nations (UN) and World Health Organisation (WHO), calling for taxes on sugar, tobacco and alcohol in order to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
WHO Commission criticised for failing to include sugar taxes in new report (8 June 2018)
(Health24) - The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Independent High-Level Commission on NCDs’ new report, Time to Deliver, called for urgent action against chronic diseases and mental disorders, the globe’s leading cause of death and ill-health, but failed to include a recommendation on taxing sugary beverages.
New WHO Global Action Plan for Physical Activity holds potential to protect millions of people from NCDs (5 June 2018)
(News Medical) - The NCD Alliance has welcomed More Active People for a Healthier World, the new WHO Global Action Plan for Physical Activity (GAPPA) 2018-2030, launched today in Lisbon, saying it has the potential to prevent huge numbers of deaths and disability from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) across the globe.
NCD commission split over sugar tax (1 June 2018)
(Devex), BRUSSELS — More involvement from heads of state, a “fresh relationship” with certain industries, and a possible “multi-donor trust fund” to catalyze financing, are among the recommendations in an expert report on combating noncommunicable diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
Alliance welcomes WHO report on chronic diseases (1 June 2018)
(Daily Trust) - The Non-Communicable Disease Alliance has commended the report of a WHO Independent High-Level Commission on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) ahead of crucial negotiations in preparation for the United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs taking place in New York this coming September.
How to combat NCDs? Take a sector-wide approach (29 May 2018)
(Devex, Taking the Pulse series) - Noncommunicable diseases, commonly referred to as NCDs — cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes, just to name a few — are the leading cause of mortality worldwide, responsible for a staggering 70 percent of global deaths.
Svetlana Axelrod and Katie Dain: A blueprint for tackling NCDs (23 May 2018)
(BMJ, Opinion) - In 1990, a student photographer called Therese Frare took one of the most iconic images of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Fighting chronic diseases could save 8m lives and $350bn in developing countries (16 May 2018)
(The Telegraph) - Spending an additional $1.27 per person per year on tackling non-communicable – or chronic – diseases, would prevent over eight million deaths and save $350 billion in lost economic productivity in low and middle income countries between now and 2030, a new analysis from the World Health Organization (WHO) has found.
Statement: Highlighting importance of mass media campaigns to protect and promote public health (2 May 2018)
STATEMENT by NCD Alliance and others (News Medical) - NCD Alliance, together with World Heart Federation, Coalición Latinoamérica Saludable, Healthy Caribbean Coalition, World Obesity Federation and Union for International Cancer Control, wishes to underscore the importance of mass media campaigns to protect and promote public health.
Opinion: We need new ways to fund NCDs. Development assistance isn't enough. (9 April 2018)
OP-ED By Katie Dain (Devex) - It is not only political action that we need to see at the U.N. High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases this September in New York. Just as fundamental will be the financial ask.
Mapped: the global epidemic of 'lifestyle' disease in charts (29 March 2018)
(The Telegraph) - Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes now account for 90 per cent of deaths each year in the UK.
Turning the tide on avoidable deaths in Africa (20 Mar. 2018)
OP-ED BY José Luis Castro and Katie Dain (Daily Maverick) - There is a perfect storm brewing on the African continent between smoking, HIV and tuberculosis and diabetes. Public health leaders showed promising signs of tackling these at the recent international tobacco control conference in Cape Town, but UN meetings later this year will test leaders’ real commitment.
Global Fund Pounded For Partnering With Heineken (15 Mar. 2018)
(NPR) - Peter Sands took over this month as the new head of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. But before he’d even officially taken his seat at the Fund’s offices in Geneva, he was under attack for a new partnership with Heineken.
Government to provide resources for health activities (13 Feb. 2018)
ACCRA (Ghana News Agency) - Members of civil society organisations have called on government to allocate resources to health activities to prevent non-communicable diseases in the country.
Multiple chronic diseases leave patients with adversely high costs (7 Feb. 2018)
MELBOURNE (University of Melbourne) - Current strategies for treating patients with several chronic diseases are putting an unnecessary financial burden on countries’ health systems and individuals, a global study led by the National University of Singapore and the University of Melbourne has found.
Global Fund partnership with Heineken
African groups sign Global Fund protest letter on Heineken partners (5 Feb 2018)
(Africa Times) - African health advocacy organizations have joined in a global campaign against the Heineken beverage company’s new partnership with The Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
Not remotely refreshing: global health fund criticised over Heineken alliance (2 Feb 2018)
(The Guardian) - A global health fund has come under severe criticism over its decision to partner with Heineken, a move campaigners warn will “undermine and subvert” alcohol policy implementation in Africa.
Health NGOs slam Global Fund partnership with Heineken (1 Feb 2018)
(AFP, via Modern Ghana) - Civil society groups Thursday called on The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to scrap a new partnership with Dutch brewing giant Heineken.
Health campaigners decry global HIV fund's deal with Heineken (1 Feb 2018)
LONDON (Reuters) - International health campaigners and alcohol concern groups called on a major global HIV and malaria fund on Thursday to end immediately a partnership it had signed with the Dutch brewer Heineken.
Experts urge firm stand on non-communicable diseases (30 January 2018)
(The New Times, Rwanda) - East African countries have called for more action in preventing and treating non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Rising to a global health challenge (26 Jan 2018)
(Development and Cooperation) - Civil-society organisations have a role to play in making societies handle non-communicable diseases (NCDs) appropriately.
Employers' Strategic Advantage (16 January 2018)
(Development and Cooperation) - Non-communicable diseases kill 40 million people per year, and more than 80% of those deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Interventions in the workplace can help to prevent such suffering, as the NCD Alliance argues in a recent publication.
Governments and industry must do more on NCDs (8 January 2018)
(FT Health, interview with NCD Alliance President José Luis Castro) - "The mega-corporations have the size and clout to frame NCDs as lifestyle diseases that are the result of personal choice, but what they are doing is shifting the responsibility to individuals for the products they are pushing which are unhealthy."
Three questions with Katie Dain (22 December 2017
(FT Health: 2017 in Review) - FT Health: What more needs to be done to tackle non-communicable diseases? Katie Dain: Funding is still really lacking and progress has been very slow, especially in dealing with childhood obesity ...
Second Global NCD Alliance Forum, 2017
Are actions out-of-step to control the 'tsunami' of NCDs? (15 December 2017)
(Citizen News Service) - The city of Sharjah is about to get an air-conditioned walkway to promote walking all the year round- during the 5 months of searing summer heat of United Arab Emirates (UAE), informed the Ruler of Sharjah at the Second Global NCD Alliance Forum 2017: "Stepping up the pace on NCDs: Making 2018 count"
Youth key in combat against NCDs (14 December 2017)
DUBAI (The Gulf Today) - A policy report and two studies on the prevalence of modifiable risk behaviours (MRBs) among the youth that result in life-long non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as well as one research which shows that regular physical activities mitigate the onset or worsening of these conditions were presented on Monday.
Liberia: Aids, NCDs, and the ABCs of Organizing (13 Decwmber 2017)
GENEVA (The New Dawn) - ... Despite widespread knowledge of the risks, global obesity goes largely unchecked, while tobacco and alcohol use continue to rise. It is against this backdrop that networks of NCD alliances met December 9-11 at the second Global NCD Alliance Forum, in the United Arab Emirates.
Jawaher extols NCD organisations (13 December 2017)
SHARJAH (The Gulf Today) - Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi: “I would like to commend the initiatives and innovative campaigns that receive these awards, but also recognise the inspirational efforts of all those who seek to reduce the incidence of NCDs across the world."
Second global NCD Alliance (Forum) launches worldwide initiative (11 December 2017)
SHARJAH (The Gulf Today) - A global initiative which gives a face and underscores not the quantity, but the devastating effects of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) which no one is spared of, was launched by an international alliance of over 2,000 civil societies around the world on Sunday in Sharjah.
Soon, Sharjah to have air-conditioned walkways (10 December 2017)
SHARJAH (Khaleej Times) - In a first, the city of Sharjah will soon have air-conditioned walkways to beat the five months of intense summer that prevent people from being active and causing obesity.
Sultan inaugurates 2nd Global NCD Alliance Forum 2017 (10 December 2017)
SHARJAH (The Gulf Today) - In his inaugural speech, Sheikh Sultan repeatedly acknowledged the big help of the civil society in letting governments of their respective countries be more conscious and more active in prioritising the promotion of health and the protection of every human being against NCDs.
TV interview with NCD Alliance CEO Katie Dain (9 December 2017) - SHARJAH (Sharjah24)
NCD Forum to open tomorrow in Sharjah (8 December 2017)
SHARJAH (The Gulf Today) - The second Global NCD (Non-Communicable Diseases) Alliance Forum, which runs from Dec. 9-11 will commence tomorrow at 4pm in Sharjah...
Second Global NCD Alliance Forum kicks off on Saturday (7 December 2017)
SHARJAH (Gulf News) - The second Global NCD (Non-Communicable Diseases) Alliance Forum will kick off in Sharjah on Saturday, bringing together more than 80 experts from around the world.
How to improve access to NCD care (20 November 2017)
(Devex, sponsored by Novo Nordisk) - By 2030, diseases associated with wealth will kill more people in sub-Saharan Africa than diseases associated with poverty.
Obese people are 80 times more likely to develop this disease (14 November 2017)
(health24.com) - One in 11 adults worldwide is living with diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) which released the new estimates in its Diabetes Atlas today.
World leaders are showing up to fight NCDs. Let's not get distracted (2 November 2017)
(devex, Opinion article by NCDA CEO Katie Dain) - We can either sleepwalk our way into a sick future as we are currently doing, or our political leaders can decide that hundreds of millions of lives are indeed worth saving and that we must fall on the right side of history.
Controversy over appointment of Robert Mugabe as WHO NCDs Ambassador
See civil society's response to the appointment of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for NCDs in Africa. See NCDA's response when the appointment was rescinded. For a sampling of media coverage of the incident, see below:
Mugabe removed as WHO goodwill envoy after outrage (22 October 2017)
(Reuters) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has been removed as a goodwill ambassador, the World Health Organization said on Sunday, following outrage among Western donors and rights groups at his appointment.
Robert Mugabe's WHO appointment condemned as 'an insult' (21 October 2017)
(BBC News) - The choice of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe as a World Health Organization (WHO) goodwill ambassador has been criticised by several organisations including the British government.
Robert Mugabe is appointed a WHO goodwill ambassador, stunning critics (20 October 2017)
(Statnews.com) - The new head of the World Health Organization has named Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe a goodwill ambassador for the agency, a move that has startled and dismayed public health experts.
Sri Lanka's efforts to eradicate non-communicable diseases praised at World Health Summit (21 October 2017)
COLOMBO (colombopage.com) - Sri Lanka's political commitment and efforts to eradicate non-communicable diseases (NCDs) received praise at the 9th World Health Summit held from 15th-17th October in Berlin.
World Health Summit urges political will to follow up on UHC commitments (20 October 2017)
BERLIN (Devex) - Advocates for universal health coverage this week lauded the way that global political agendas have integrated health issues in recent years. But participants in this week's World Health Summit in Berlin — including Nobel laureates, health ministers from around the world and leaders of international agencies — warned that, without political will, few countries will be able to deliver on those pledges.
120 million premature deaths - How many more reasons do we need for action? (18 October 2017)
(allafrica.com) - By Katie Dain - On the first day of the WHO Global Conference on NCDs, Montevideo Uruguay, NCD Alliance CEO Katie Dain spoke candidly on building ambitious national NCD responses to reach SDG target 3.4 on NCDs by 2030. This blog reflects her remarks. Note: this blog post was originally published on the NCD Allilance website.
Advocates seek noncommunicable disease funding mechanisms (11 October 2017)
MEXICO CITY (Devex) - Experts from the NCD Alliance have expressed concern with the lack of progress on tackling NCDs, which kill 40 million people every year, three-quarters of which occur in low- and middle-income countries. At the first U.N. high-level meeting, countries set nine global NCD targets, including reducing premature mortality from NCDs by 2025.
Diabetes, heart diseases big worry for Bangladesh, killing younger people: NCD Alliance (9 October 2017)
MEXICO CITY (bdnews24.com) - The Non-Communicable Disease Alliance (NCD Alliance) warns South Asian countries including Bangladesh about the “aggressive” spread of the diseases such as heart problems and diabetes affecting people mostly in younger age.
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