WHO releases Non-communicable Disease Progress Monitor 2017 report

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on 18 September 2017 released the  report titled Non-communicable Disease Progress Monitor 2017.

As per Progress Monitor 2017, governments must step up efforts to control Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) to meet globally agreed targets such as preventing the premature deaths of millions of people from these conditions.

Highlights of the report
• The report also states that limited national progress has been made in the fight against NCDs such as cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases, cancers and diabetes.
• These NCDs are the world’s biggest killers and claim the lives of 15 million people aged 30 to 70 years annually.
• Over 90 countries have set national targets to address NCDs, up from 59 in 2015.
• 94 countries have implemented operational multi-sectoral strategies to address NCDs, compared to 64 in 2015.
• 90 countries have developed guidelines for managing the four major NCDs, up from 50 in 2015.
• 100 countries have conducted physical activity awareness campaigns.
• Six countries have not achieved any of the progress indicators, compared to 14 in 2015. Five of the six countries are African.
• Costa Rica and Iran lead the 10 the best performing countries, with each achieving 15 of the 19 indicators, followed by Brazil, Bulgaria, Turkey and the United Kingdom (each 13); Finland, Norway, Saudi Arabia and Thailand (each 12).
• No country from the WHO Africa region achieved more than eight of the progress indicators.

The report charts down the actions undertaken by countries to set targets, implement policies to address four main shared and modifiable NCD risk factors- tobacco, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol.

The Progress Monitor provides data on 19 indicators of WHO’s 194 Member States.

The indicators include setting time-bound targets to reduce NCD deaths; developing government policies to address NCDs; implementing key tobacco demand reduction measures, measures to reduce harmful use of alcohol; and strengthening health systems and universal health coverage.