By Heather White, Noncommunicable Disease Technical Advisor, PSI
PSI’s technical advisor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), Heather White co-authored a discussion paper published in the National Academy of Medicine that presented four innovative principles implementers should incorporate in NCD programming.
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), stroke, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases represent the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. At PSI, we’re working to raise awareness of these diseases in over 65 countries and reduce their devastating effects on individuals, families and communities. Part of our global mission at PSI is to collaborate by sharing experiences and lessons learned in NCD programming with other stakeholders.
In early 2015, Medtronic Philanthropy, in partnership with the Institute of Medicine’s Collaborative on Global Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, brought together representatives from NGOs, foundations, and community-based organizations to reflect on lessons learned from their implementation experiences. I was a speaker on the panel, along with experts from FHI360, ICAP/Columbia University and the Ugandan NCD Alliance. Each organization offered their respective insights from working directly with patients, providers, local and national officials and community-based advocates.
From across these sources and information-gathering efforts, four key principles in NCD program design have emerged that, if applied consistently by funders and implementers, have the potential to accelerate progress in reaching low-resourced communities with NCD care and treatment services. The four principles are:
- support people with chronic disease, empower them to take better self-care, and encourage them to be advocates for services to improve their health.
- invest in integrating NCDs into existing development projects while making sure to track the true costs and efforts of integration.
- recruit a broad range of front-line health workers to be champions of patient car
- build sustainable partnerships that combine the strengths of the public sector with private sector capacity and leadership.
These principles remind us that the fight against NCDs will not be won by the efforts of a single organization or country government. We must continue to work together to empower patients and call upon local voices and champions to curb the rise of NCDs in communities where they thrive. It is only through the coordinated effort of multiple stakeholders that we will find ourselves winning the global fight against NCDs.
Read the discussion paper published in the National Academy of Medicine to learn more about approaches to accelerate NCD care and treatment.
