As the world achieves notable gains in curbing the spread of communicable diseases, a silent scourge is ravaging millions of lives.
A lot of both material and non-material resources have been invested in fighting HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis. But while the diseases continue to pose a threat to the health of citizens, particularly those in developing countries, they have largely been contained. For instance, a person living with HIV/Aids can live life to the fullest by adhering to the anti-retroviral treatment regime.
The drastic rise in the number of people suffering from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the world is scaring. The most common NCDs include cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and stroke, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and diabetes.
Lately, various mental and neurological disorders such as depression, bipolar, schizophrenia and dementia have been categorised as NCDs. Again, the developing world bears the biggest health burden from NCDs.
Typically, NCDs take long to diagnose, and progress slowly before reaching a point of no return. This means, for instance, by the time one gets killed by high blood pressure or kidney disease, a lot of resources have been spent managing the condition.
Indeed, you must have noted there is a surge of fundraisers to meet cancer-related medical or funeral expenses of people known to you. This includes many cases of young people or those at the prime of their lives.
According to Health ministry, NCDs are responsible for over 55 per cent of deaths in Kenya. They also account for more than 50 per cent of hospital admissions. Consequently, this burden must be corresponding to the budget allocations to the ministry, leaving the other half of the money for other health and medical demands in the public health sector.
Today marks a crucial day in the world’s fight against disease. The UN General Assembly (UNGA) is staging the third High-level Meeting in New York on the prevention and control of NCDs.
The aim of the meeting is to undertake a comprehensive review of the global and national progress in creating preventing measures that protect people from dying from heart and lung diseases, cancers and diabetes.
Indeed, World Health Organisation admits that despite interventions and commitments to combat NCDs, progress has been slow and uneven globally. Thus the UNGA forum must address the discrepancy by giving more NCD management resources to those who need them most.
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And now for some housekeeping issues! One wonders why we are stuck in a rut of corruption and mediocrity. The answer is written all over the piling files at the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji. Since his appointment, Haji has gone full throttle in unearthing scams in public sector.
Apparently, a third of public officers and elected leaders could be carrying fake academic papers and other claims to merit. Too many rotten apples! –The writer is Executive Director, Centre for Climate Change Awareness—ndegwasm@gmail.com
