The 11 member countries in South East Asia, including Timor-Leste, have pledged to combat non-communicable diseases at the 69th session of the WHO Regional Committee in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
WHO Regional Director for South East Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh said member countries of the region adopted the ‘Colombo declaration’ which calls for the strengthening of services at primary health care level, particularly in prevention, counseling, early detection and treatment.
She said the non-communicable diseases affected all countries around the world and therefore South East Asia also needed to specifically focus on addressing this issue.
Almost 8.5 million people in the region die per year as a result of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease and stroke.
“Non-communicable diseases are a leading cause of death,” she said in the Inauguration of the 69th Session of WHO South-East Asia Regional Committee Meeting in Colombo.
She acknowledged that alcohol, smoking and unhealthy diet remained significant challenges for member countries and efforts to eradicate non-communicable diseases.
Dr Khetrapal Singh called on member countries to impose stricter alcohol and tobacco controls, as well as promote the importance of a healthy diet and regular physical exercise.
During the session members also discussed issues around the sustainable development goals (SDGs), antimicrobial resistance, the elimination of neglected tropical diseases (leprosy, yaws, lymphatic filariasis, kala-azar and schistesomiasis), natural disasters and emergency health reform, as well as maternal and child health and human resources.
Sri Lankan Minister for Health Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Sri Lanka, Rajitha Senarathne, said the country had made significant progress in the elimination of communicable diseases, but many challenges remained in terms of non-communicable diseases.
He said the Sri Lankan government made $1 billion in revenue from tobacco and alcohol taxes, but also spent $72 billion on the treatment of related health issues.
In order to reduce the rates of non-communicable diseases in Sri Lanka, she said the government must raise tobacco taxes from 72% to 90%, as well as increase the taxes on salt and sugar.
Meanwhile, the Vice Minister for Health of Timor-Leste, Ana Isabel de Fatima Sousa said the non-communicable diseases were the seventh biggest killer in Timor-Leste.
She said hospital data showed that 22% of patients died in hospital and 90% died while receiving treatment overseas caused by non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease.
“On this occasion, I would like to inform everyone that the Health Ministry and WHO-Timor-Leste has developed a national strategic plan on non-communicable diseases which focuses on strengthening the early detection and management system of non-communicable disease,” she said during the session. “It is one of four priorities of the ministry.”
To prevent chronic disease, she said the ministry had developed a series of outreach programs, including family visits, mobile clinics, and the SISCA and health in school programs, with the aim of educating communities, as well as promoting healthy lifestyle choices and the importance of early detection.
She said that 225 health posts have been established in sukus (villages) along with 66 health centers across Timor to provide primary health care to local communities.
The 11-member countries of the South East Asia region include Bangladesh, Bhutan, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
