Call to action - Prioritizing a person-centred approach to chronic and severe noncommunicable diseases–type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease and childhood heart diseases
We, the participants at the first-ever International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa (ICPPA), held on 23– 25 April 2024 in Dar Es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania, recognize the urgency of the rising burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) across our Region. We are alarmed by the implications for social and economic development across Africa, considering that rising numbers of people under the age of 40 die unnecessarily.
The theme of the conference is, “Prioritizing person-centred approach to chronic and severe NCDs”, and it is articulated around Africa’s commitment to attaining the highest possible level of health for its people as outlined in the Constitution of the World Health Organization, and also specifically, The Brazzaville Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases Prevention and Control in the African Region, The Global Noncommunicable Diseases Compact 2020–2030 (NCD Compact). Besides, we are approaching the ‘Road to 2025: the global NCD deadline’ to be held in 2025 at the Fourth High-level meeting of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in 2025, and the nine voluntary deadlines set for the prevention and control of NCDs, which aim to achieve a 25% relative reduction in the risk of premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory diseases.
