Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are facing a time bomb in the face of non-communicable diseases that have now become the next affliction for the health sector in emergent societies.
While briefing the press during the ongoing 7th Global Conference on Health Promotion, Dr. David McQueen, the President International Union for Health Promotion and Education, said the world is witnessing a huge epidemiological transition where the burden of disease is moving away from just infectious to non-communicable diseases such as heart ailments, cancer and diabetes.
"These are the diseases of the future that will impact Africa in the next 10 to 15 years. It will impact your economy and health systems incredibly. Now is the time to get it right by addressing the key social determinants of primary health", he said.
He pointed out some determinants including poverty and disparate incomes, lack of education and health awareness among other social injustices which have led to marginalization of populations especially in rural areas.
Noting the urgency in tackling these determinants such as inequity in provision of health services, Dr McQueen explained that non-Communicable diseases could slowly overwhelm vast communities, visiting untold suffering and great economic burdens in these countries if left unchecked.
"We now know that this burden is already afflicting the entire world except in sub-Saharan Africa and where particular attention is yet to be focused on the causes of primary health deficits", Said Dr.McQueen.
African Consortium
According to Dr. Mary Amuyunzu Nyamongo, the Executive Director of the African Institute for Health and Development, Kenya among many African states do not yet have a policy on non-communicable diseases as opposed to the many proactive actions on infectious diseases.
"Although many young people are dropping dead due to heart attacks and diabetes the focus still remains strong on Malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS", she said.
Dr. Nyamongo clarified that only recently has the shift started towards addressing these silent killers with the formation of the African Consortium on Non-Communicable Diseases, being coordinated by the African Institute of Health and Development.
The consortium will support African countries in policy development and re-orientating Africa's health systems and government departments in health promotion and prevention of non-communicable diseases.
"The biggest challenge in the continent is the poor level of investment in health. In Kenya only 5.4 percent of the national budget is actually dedicated to health which means even less goes into health promotion and the tackling of non-communicable diseases." she said.
Health promotion
For success Dr. Nyamongo added that health promotion must be made part of national policies and multi-sectoral plans in core ministries such as agriculture, sports, lands and water because social determinants cut across all these sectors.
Conference participant, Linda Mashingaidze of the African regional Coordinator of the People's Health Movement based in South Africa, said the civil society was particularly suited to move such agendas in the continent.
"Experiences like the Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPS) in the late 80's and 90's grossly affected economic structures of African countries. From these effects many countries opted for selective approaches based on cost effectiveness as opposed to addressing the full components of health promotion and primary health care". She said.
This strategy she explained has over the last 10 years led to poverty and the detriment of more practical programmes like basic behavior change in individuals e.g. hand washing and promotion of healthy eating habits.
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