Africa: A Presentation on Non Communicable Diseases at the CCA

http://www.africacncl.org/
CCA Private Sector Health Conference
8 October 2010
Corporate Council on Africa (Washington, DC)
document By Haskell Ward

The following is the prepared text of a presentation to the Corporate Council on Africa Private Sector Health Conference Plenary Session on Non Communicable Diseases.

I am honored to be apart of this session and such an esteemed panel of presenters. I serve as Vice Chair of the Board of the Corporate Council on Africa and as Chair of the American Cancer Society’s Global Health Advisory Group. Both of these organizations recently collaborated to focus attention on and raise awareness of the emerging noncommunicable disease health threat that, if left unchecked, will be a leading killer in the region.

Very few realize that non-communicable diseases (cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes) make the largest contribution to mortality both globally and in the majority of low- and middle- income countries (LMCs). Worldwide, NCDs account for 60% (35 million) of global deaths. The largest burden - 80% of all NCD deaths (28 million) - occurs in LMCs, making NCDs a major cause of poverty and an urgent development issue. Globally, NCDs will increase by 17% in the next ten years, and in the African region by 27%.

To be sure, Africa’s disease burden is changing. The region still suffers from high rates of certain infectious diseases, including HIV, malaria, and TB. In addition, Africa is now experiencing growing rates of certain NCDs, which is often referred to as a double burden. The data from the WHO and other sources reveal in no uncertain terms that the impact of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other chronic, non-communicable conditions will be wide-ranging, detrimental and only continue to increase. Forecasts indicate that 1 million cases of cancer will develop yearly in African countries by 2020, with 138,000 expected in Nigeria alone.  The prevalence rate of hypertension in Africa is estimated at 20 million. Some 250,000 deaths could be prevented each year through effective case management.

I recently had the opportunity on behalf of CCA and ACS to serve as Honorary Chair of the Corporate Council on Africa and the American Cancer Society’s Working Forum on Noncommunicable Disease in Africa. This multi-sector forum brought together the members of The Corporate Council on Africa, representing 85% of all investment in Africa, and key global health stakeholders, including the American Cancer Society, the world’s largest voluntary health organization committed to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. The goal of this three-part series of roundtable discussions, which concluded last month, was to develop concrete, actionable steps for new projects and partnerships to address Africa’s growing NCD burden and share them at this CCA health conference.

In my brief remarks today, I will be sharing highlights from the CCA/ACS NCD forum and opportunities for a call to action that ACS and CCA believe will help prioritize NCDs as a major health and development issue facing Africa. . In addition, a two-page summary from the CCA/ACS NCD forum is available in your conference materials.

Health is as critical as institutions, infrastructure, and education for Africa’s economic competiveness and growth.  It is a prerequisite for human energy, entrepreneurship, dynamic markets, and a productive society.  CCA and ACS’s respective missions are thus mutually dependent.

In addition to being the world’s leading killers, NCDs are also a major barrier to economic development.  For instance, the total impact of premature death and disability from cancer worldwide was nearly $1trillion ($895 billion), according to a recently released report on The Global Economic Cost of Cancer by the ACS and LiveStrong.

However, NCDs do not feature explicitly in the UN Millennium Development Goals, which have resulted in a skewed, imbalanced distribution of resources. According to a report from the Center for Global Development, less than 2% of global aid for health in LMICs is allocated to the prevention and control of NCDs.

The Working Forum convened CCA’s members, ACS leadership and partners in the policy and global health communities, including Jhpiego, General Electric, Medtronic, Project Hope, the International Union Against Cancer, the Center for Global Development, and USAID. This forum could not have been more timely given the unprecedented resolution recently passed by the UN to hold a high level meeting on NCDs in September 2011.

Key recommendations and actionable steps for addressing NCDs that were identified from the Forum include:
•    The need to work closely, collaboratively and in consultation with African governments on NCD plans and related health topics, supported by political will and allocation of sufficient resources for NCD prevention, management and treatment, research and health systems.
•    The need to integrate NCD components into existing programs on HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, tuberculosis, primary care, etc. to leverage limited resources.
•    The need to seek technology-based solutions that are appropriate for low-resource settings. Industry is interested in working with donors and governments on these issues.
•    The need to discuss NCDs in economic terms especially given the impact of the diseases on productivity.
•    The need to address the challenges of NCD interventions in Africa, such as information about NCDs, especially in rural areas, prevention, and the cost and medical capacity for treatment of NCDs.
•    The need for the corporate sector to lead and promote NCD risk reduction efforts, like smokefree workplaces and wellness programs.
•    The need to address the lack of data regarding the growing NCD burden in the region. Resources must be mobilized to establish better surveillance, research and data management systems to better monitor NCDs.

Call To Action

A headlining topic of discussion at this conference has been the upcoming UN High Level Meeting on NCDs. To be sure, Africa can play a powerful role in ensuring the success of this meeting by leading a regional call to action that calls for making NCDs a stronger priority on the region’s public health and development agenda. I would like to close my remarks by sharing some thoughts on this unprecedented opportunity.

We must urge:

•    Participation at the highest-level in this summit, including African heads of state and ministers of health and finance.
•    The inclusion of concrete outcomes that acknowledge and address the growing NCD burden in the UN Millennium Development Goals, particularly in developing nations like those in Africa
•    Consistent messaging that highlights the economic and human costs of NCDs, including the disproportionate impact of these diseases on women, health systems opportunities, and the impact of tobacco.
•    Private sector firms and organizations, including both multi-national corporations and non-profit civil society organizations, to be actively involved in the preparations for the high-level meeting and represented during the proceedings.  We hope CCA and ACS can be key players in this effort.
•    The inclusion of NCDs in the MDG successor goals, particularly if the September 2011 high-level meeting itself leads to a concerted global effort to reduce the burden of NCDs.

Ultimately, the world cannot wait until 2015 to address this issue.  Millions will die unnecessarily in Africa if we do not include begin to act now.

THANK YOU

Haskell Ward is vice chair of the Corporate Council on Africa, vice president of SEACOM and chair of the American Cancer Society’s Global Health Advisory Group.

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