The National Document in Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) is to be unveiled soon in the presence of Director-General of the World Health Organization Margaret Chan in Iran.
During the 3rd Regional Symposium on Non-communicable Diseases in Beirut, Lebanon, it was decided to finalize the document before Chan’s visit, IRNA reported.
The conference corresponded to the Political Declaration on NCDs adopted by the UN General Assembly in April 2011 where member states pledged to intensify efforts towards a world free of NCDs, which claim the lives of three in five people worldwide.
Premature deaths from NCDs, however, can be prevented through a change in policies and active engagement not only in health but also in other sectors. Effective action can save millions of lives.
During the symposium, Iran brought up two distinct yet similar approaches to help prevent the four main NCDs as well as four common risk factors such as insufficient physical activity, unhealthy diet, tobacco consumption and alcohol.
WHO had earlier developed a global monitoring framework to enable global tracking of progress in preventing and controlling the four major NCDs - cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic lung diseases and diabetes - and their key risk factors.
The framework comprises nine global targets and 25 indicators and was up for adoption by member states during the World Health Assembly in May 2013. Once adopted, the members are encouraged to consider the development of national NCD targets and indicators building on the global framework.
The framework also includes a mortality target: a 25% reduction in premature mortality from NCDs by 2025.
Bagher Larijani, educational deputy at the Health Ministry and vice president of the National Committee for Prevention and Control of NCDs, elucidated the general outlines of the document and the current status and outlook in Iran by 2025.
The WHO framework was adopted by nations present at the conference with slight modifications. The indicator ‘zero trans fats in the food industry’ proposed by the head of Iran’s Food and Drug Administration Rasoul Dinarvand was accepted as the 10th target.
Deputy Health Minister Dr. Ali Akbar Sayyari, health minister’s international deputy Mohsen Asadi Lari and experts in various health sectors were also present at the conference.
The two-day event on June 26-27 was attended by representatives from Syria, Iraq, Tunisia, and Iran as well as officials in WHO expert committee from Cairo and Geneva, and international experts from the UK.
