New Delhi (NVI): Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, prevention and treatment services for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have been severely disrupted, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
A WHO survey completed by 155 countries during a three-week period in May confirmed that the impact is global. However, it has affected low-income countries.
WHO said the situation is of significant concern because people living with NCDs are at higher risk of severe COVID-19-related illness and death.
“The results of this survey confirm what we have been hearing from countries for a number of weeks now,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“Many people who need treatment for diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes have not been receiving the health services and medicines they need since the COVID-19 pandemic began, said Tedros.
Non-communicable diseases kill 41 million people each year, equivalent to 71% of all deaths globally. Each year, 15 million people die from an NCD between the ages of 30 and 69, with more than 85% of these “premature” deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
The main finding WHO survey is that health services have been partially or completely disrupted in many countries.
More than half (53%) of the countries surveyed have partially or completely disrupted services for hypertension treatment; 49% for diabetes and diabetes-related complications; 42% for cancer treatment, and 31% for cardiovascular emergencies.
The survey also found that, rehabilitation services have been disrupted in almost two-thirds (63%) of countries, even though rehabilitation is key to a healthy recovery following severe illness from COVID-19.
In the majority (94%) of countries responding, ministry of health staff working in the area of NCDs were partially or fully reassigned to support COVID-19.
The postponement of public screening programmes (for example for breast and cervical cancer) was also widespread, reported by more than 50% of countries.
The most common reasons for discontinuing or reducing services were cancellations of planned treatments, a decrease in public transport available, and a lack of staff because health workers had been reassigned to support COVID-19 services.
In one in five countries (20%) reporting disruptions, one of the main reasons for discontinuing services was shortage of medicines, diagnostics and other technologies.
Tedros said it is vital that countries innovate ways to ensure that essential services for NCDs continue, even as they fight COVID-19.
“Unsurprisingly, there appears to be a co-relation between levels of disruption to services for treating NCDs and the evolution of the COVID-19 outbreak in a country,” said the WHO.
The services become increasingly disrupted as a country moves from sporadic cases to community transmission of the coronavirus.
Globally, two-thirds of countries reported that they had included NCD services in their national COVID-19 preparedness and response plans; 72 per cent of high-income countries reported inclusion compared to 42 per cent of low-income countries.
These services are to address cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease were the most frequently included.
However, 17 per cent of countries reporting have started to allocate additional funding from the government budget to include the provision of NCD services in their national COVID-19 plan.
