3 ways the public sector can work with business to fight chronic diseases

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

More than three out of every five people who die today will do so because of a chronic, non-communicable disease such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer or lung disease.

Now, consider that NCDs — which also can include trauma, stroke and mental illnesses — account for more than 75 percent of global health care spending and cause hundreds of billions of dollars in productivity losses. The human and economic costs are staggering. Very clearly, NCDs are a global challenge to health, but are also an impediment to sustainable human development and security overall.

The good news is that over the past five years, the world is taking action as NCDs, slowly but surely, move to the top of global health and development agendas. However, the not-so-good news is that preventing the explosion of NCDs will be no easy undertaking. The scope of this global health challenge calls for solutions far beyond the ability of any single institution to implement them. And positive outcomes are unlikely to be achieved without constructive engagement through a “whole-of-society” approach — including the private sector.

Source: Devex (link opens in a new window)

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Health Care
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