This week is the 75th World Health Assembly where Heads of State, assembly delegates from WHO’s 194 Member States, inter-governmental organizations, and partner agencies (including Medtronic LABS) come together to discuss global strategies on food safety, oral health, and tuberculosis research and innovation.
One of the key topics of discussion is an implementation road map between 2023–2030 for a global action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases. According to the World Health Organization, the premature death toll from NCDs is 15 million people each year since 2015 and is projected to reach a total of more than 150 million over the previous decade by 2025. Of these deaths, 85% occur in low-to middle income countries.[1]
“A large proportion of the global population live in low- and middle-income countries where the social, economic, and physical environments afford lower levels of protection from the risks of NCDs, such as tobacco use, the harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and air pollution. In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, NCDs and mental health services have been the most commonly disrupted among all essential health services.[2]” ~ 75th World Health Assembly, World Health Organization
To reverse projections of NCD premature death in underserved communities, we at Medtronic LABS are partnering with governmental and non-State entities to optimize complementary expertise and launch ambitious and achievable health care systems across Asia and Africa. These implementation-focused partnerships have increased our healthcare reach and impact for underserved populations.
By engaging and collaborating in public-private partnerships we take a population health approach to chronic disease: we screen, diagnose, risk-stratify, manage, and improve clinical outcomes for patients as early and efficiently as possible to reduce premature deaths. The below infographic showcases our 2020 to 2021 increase in patients enrolled by NCD. The double-digit increase in enrollments year over year is made possible by collaborating with partners with existing field operations and facilities throughout Asia and Africa.
As we scale, we continually evolve our healthy system models to improve clinical and social outcomes for our patients with the hope to lengthen patients’ lives through early detection, treatment, and support.
[1] World Health Organization: Follow-up to the political declaration of the third high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, p. 3.
[2] World Health Organization: Follow-up to the political declaration of the third high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, p. 2
