WS 13 - 'Building Back Better' with Smart Investments in NCDs

People living with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, diabetes or cancer, have been at increased risk of severe illness and death due to the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing how vulnerable these groups are. The WHO Rapid assessment of service delivery for NCDs during the COVID-19 pandemic has found that the COVID-19 pandemic has ‘severely’ disrupted the delivery of services to prevent and treat NCDs in almost 80% of countries surveyed. Therefore, the interaction between COVID-19 and NCDs revealed how crucial it is to address the underlying drivers of the NCD pandemic that are fuelling COVID-19 mortality.

At the same time, while health systems are facing the most serious global pandemic crisis in a century, the latter has amplified the historical investment gap in NCDs and the underlying shortcomings of health systems to respond to the healthcare need of people living with or at risk of NCDs. It has highlighted the urgent need of political will to invest in NCD prevention and in strong health systems and primary healthcare as the best defence against outbreaks like COVID-19.

In this context, this workshop will bring the unique expertise of governments, civil society, people living with NCDs and industry around the table to discuss the lessons learned from the crisis and the breadth of the long-term approach and investments needed to ensure a sustainable respond to NCDs.