Microsoft Word Report on who global Forum on ncds final 19 August 2011. doc

 

 

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A. Challenges 

Four broad challenges were identified.  First, 'technical considerations, including: the absence 

of mental health from the current NCD priorities; the branding of NCDs; and the fact that 

risk factors for some NCDs are in fact infectious in nature.  Greater clarity on these issues 

will be helpful as will specific guidance on strengthening health systems. 

 

The second was the need for governments to fully understand and commit to the NCDs 

agenda and to commit resources to dealing with NCD prevention and control.  Third were 

the health systems challenges, including access to and affordability of services.  Finally, 

commercial interests and how they interact in this space was identified as a challenge, but 

also an opportunity. 

 

B. Outcomes 

The first desirable outcome identified in this concurrent session was funding and resources 

for NCD prevention and control; these include indigenous sources including taxes and 

innovative means as well as potentially development funding.  Second was the structural 

response, including appropriate governance and leadership arrangements and mobilizing 

partnerships with the full range of stakeholders such as patient and community groups.  

There is an opportunity to harness the new social media to engage a wider community in 

support of NCD prevention and control. 

 

The third outcome being called for was time-based indicators and targets and a mechanism 

for monitoring them.  Fourth was 'normative clarity' around the relationships with 

communicable diseases and the health systems response to provide more specific guidance 

to governments on how to do this.  Finally, attitudinal change is needed in the public health 

community to ensure appropriate engagement with the private sector.  Consumers also need 

to be supported to change their attitudes towards the risk factors for NCDs. 

 

C. Commitments and priorities 

There was an exciting discussion that elicited a range of significant commitments from those 

present including professional bodies, faith-based organizations, NGOs.  A number of 

examples were provided of specific commitments that covered awareness raising, helping to 

identify targets, mobilizing membership networks, developing training programs on NCDs 

for leaders, capacity building, strengthening the consumer response to NCDs, integrating 

NCD prevention and treatment into existing services such as maternal and child health, 

service development and mobilizing political leadership.  It was noted that the role of Civil 

Society organizations is to assist and support governments and States, which have the 

primary responsibility for NCD prevention and control. 

 

Concurrent session 5 Researchers and academia 

Dr Abdallah Daar, Chair of the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases, chaired this session. 

The main presentation reminded participants that we have sufficient research evidence to act 

decisively on NCDs, but that we need better research evidence on how to intervene more 

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effectively.

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  The current research challenges and proposed responses for NCD policy and 

practice were reviewed. 

The following is a summary of the discussion. 

 

A. Challenges 

Much is known about the size and causes of the problem, but more is needed on the details 

in particular country and region specific data – this requires surveillance to guide investment 

by governments.  There is improving evidence from implementation research that supports 

translating knowledge into action, but this is currently underfunded and is a high priority for 

further investment.  Likewise, we are in the 'infancy' of integrating the science into policy 

action, e.g. the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is only partially 

implemented despite wide ratification. More information is needed on what is modifiable in 

different countries, as this is strongly related to social and cultural influences.   

 

While health services 'own' the diseases, they don't own the causes as these are 

environmental and social.  Thus, there is a problem with the 'ownership' of prevention: 

effective prevention is effectively invisible. Research needs to also look at intergenerational 

effects ie fetal and newborn development - and research into preventing prolonged 

morbidity, which is a big driver of costs.   

 

B. Outcomes 

A desirable outcome is a wider commitment and investment in the nascent international 

collaboration for funding of culturally-specific research, which has an initial tranche of 

funding available for implementation research. Further investment in surveillance will be 

critical, especially to strengthen surveillance in developing countries.  A better understanding 

of the size and epidemic nature of the problem, ie that it is reversible will be crucial to ensure 

that the necessary investment is made now to prevent a huge and costly potential problem 

 

The 'knowledge pool' is bigger than just the published scientific articles and includes the 

accumulated experience of governments and other parts of society: mechanisms for sharing 

this knowledge need to be further developed. 

 

C. Commitments and priorities 

The Global Alliance for Chronic Disease is an existing commitment by a number of 

governments in global health research on NCDs, and it will be important to widen the pool 

of Governments supporting and contributing funding.  A key priority is coordinating the 

disparate groups of stakeholders, including universities, to address the research gaps and 

foster emerging researchers. Governments also need to invest in health systems research, in 

particular to work out how to integrate NCD prevention and control into health service 

delivery. 

 

                                                 

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The presentation of Dr Reddy is available at: 

http://www.who.int/nmh/events/global_forum_ncd/documents/session_5_research_srinath_reddy.pdf

  

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