Ministers called for greater investment to strengthen health systems in efforts to combat non-communicable diseases
Ministers called for greater investment to strengthen health systems in efforts to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and manage the health needs of ageing populations in a statement issued today.
The 27th Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting took place in Geneva ahead of the World Health Assembly. The meeting provided participants with an opportunity to set health priorities in line with the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals.
Ministers and senior health officials considered approaches towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) – equal access to quality, affordable health services - by exploring feasible options to invest in health, whilst addressing increasing pressures caused by changing disease patterns and ageing populations.
Setting the context for the session, Dr David Evans highlighted the application of UHC in relation to ageing populations. He emphasised the importance of focussing on prevention to ease strain on overstretched health systems struggling to cope with rising demand.
He said: “Much of morbidity and disability in older ages is preventable with better health and social policies. There are things that need to be done beyond the health sector, such as reducing consumption of alcohol and tobacco and providing better education on leading a healthier lifestyle.”
According to current estimates, the number of people worldwide aged over 65 will outnumber children aged 5 and under in the next 5 years. While this is widely acknowledged to be a result of successful preventive interventions, ageing populations are living with more long-term, complex illnesses, such as heart disease, cancers and dementia. All countries face challenges in managing these illnesses. In addition, low income countries are faced with a double burden of high levels of infectious diseases, as well as increasing rates of NCDs.
Delegates and senior health officials heard a series of presentations from Commonwealth member countries detailing achievements made and issues faced by health systems responding to demographic changes, economic constraints and shifting burdens of disease. Dr Fenton Ferguson, Minister of Health, Jamaica reminded participants that the attainment of UHC is an ongoing process.
He noted: “The fact that we have moved away from the burden of tropical diseases towards a rise in NCDs calls for a shift in thinking. We must recognise achieving UHC is a journey and not just a destination.”
Calling for “aggressive” early prevention health programmes to reduce NCDs, Datuk Seri Dr Subramaniam, Minister of Health, Malaysia stressed the importance of educating children at a young age to look after their health.
The impact of public health emergencies on health systems was brought to light with a presentation from Sierra Leone on the effects of the Ebola crisis. A financial plan for the recovery and future resilience in Sierra Leone was outlined and the need for an effective, coordinated international response to control and protect against outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Updating participants on the Commonwealth health hub, Professor Kakkar informed participants about collaborative work undertaken with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and Public Health England on the Global Burdens of Disease. He demonstrated the outcome of the collaboration: an online tool that will enable health professionals to assess data from across the Commonwealth to support policy development.
It was widely acknowledged that technology could be better used to create innovative, low cost solutions to improve health care. This was demonstrated by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust who introduced a groundbreaking tool to eliminate avoidable blindness called ‘Peek Vision’ – a portable eye examination kit which relies on solar power.
At the end of the meeting, ministers issued a statement calling for health systems strengthening to support the principles of UHC, an aspiration they recognised as essential for sustainable development and global health security.
The statement will be presented at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Malta in November in 2015 to support cross sector approaches for protecting and improving health across the Commonwealth.
