IFPMA and the Global Self-Care Federation (GSCF) support the draft decision on NCDs presented to the 150th Executive Board and strongly believes that concerted efforts are required to keep NCDs at the top of the global health agenda. Whilst the world has been occupied over the last two years with tackling the pandemic, COVID-19 has reminded us that those with chronic conditions and co-morbidities are often the most vulnerable and have suffered the most throughout the pandemic. Weak health systems and the failures to adequately invest in NCD prevention and control are hampering our collective ability to proactively deal with health crises. We therefore welcome and applaud the WHO’s continued work on NCDs and have played our part as a key non-State actor to work towards multi-stakeholder, impactful access solutions for those living with NCDs.
We remain concerned that achieving SDG 3.4 will be a tall order if we do not come together and ramp up our efforts on NCDs, and in that respect, repeat previous messages that implementation of the best buys as well as significant improvements in sustainable financing will both be critical to this.
We believe the private sector has been and remains a necessary and critical partner in addressing the gaps in response to NCDs. We remain a committed stakeholder in tackling NCDs and will continue working with others to build access solutions and contribute towards stronger health systems, with the aim of improving the lives of people living with NCDs.