Call to address non-communicable diseases issue

PESHAWAR: Health experts on Tuesday stressed the need for identifying and implementing affordable and effective solutions to address the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) issue.

They were speaking at a meeting at the Khyber Medical University (KMU) Peshawar. It was arranged under the joint chairmanship of KMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Zia ul Haq and Special Secretary Health Abidullah Kakakhail, said a press release.

Dr Shaukat Ali, Director General of Health Services Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dr Akram Shah, Dr Nadeem Akhtar Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Healthcare Commission, Dr Riaz Tanoli, CEO of the Health Card Plus, Centre of Impact, World Bank and representatives of other relevant stakeholder organizations participated in the meeting.

It was informed that 50 per cent of deaths and 40 per cent of all disability-adjusted life years lost in KP were due to the NCDs such as cardiovascular, diabetes, chronic respiratory disorders, cancers, and common mental disorders. The speakers said the NCDs epidemic risks crippling the already overburdened health system and fragile economy of the province.

They said a new Global Health Research Centre called Centre for IMPACT has been launched in Pakistan, recently to meet this need.

The centre is the result of collaboration between seven universities — four in Pakistan including KMU and three in the UK.

Prof. Dr Kamran Siddiqui and Prof. Dr Najma Siddiqui overall lead from York University in the UK. In KP, the Centre is led by Prof. Dr Ziaul Haq, VC & Dean of Public Health at the KMU.

After a long deliberation and discussion in the meeting, it was unanimously decided that a comprehensive action plan will be prepared soon in consultation with all stakeholders to deal with the challenge of NCDs and it will be submitted to the provincial government for approval.