World Health Ministers Pledge To Fight Non-Communicable Diseases

A pledge against the spread of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other non-communicable diseases was made last week by health ministers adopting a “Moscow Declaration” to prevent, and treat such illnesses.

The declaration [pdf] was adopted at the close of the 28-29 April First Global Ministerial Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Noncommunicable Disease Control, organised by the World Health Organization and the Russian Ministry of Health (IPW, WHO, 26 April 2011).

In the declaration, the ministers acknowledged the inequities in the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) between and within countries, and that NCDs negatively impact human development and “may impede progress towards the [United Nations] Millennium Development Goals.”

It is estimated that by 2030, 75 percent of global deaths will be a consequence of NCDs, and developing countries are facing the “extraordinary challenges from the double burden” of communicable diseases and NCDs. The declaration calls for the engagement of both civil society and the private sector to address the challenge, and for access to cost-effective prevention, treatment and care “for integrated management of NCDs, including access to affordable, safe, effective and high quality medicines.”