Public policy & the challenge of chronic noncommunicable diseases

De: Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC)
Enviada em: quinta-feira, 28 de junho de 2007 12:25

Public policy & the challenge of chronic noncommunicable diseases

Olusoji Adeyi, OwenSmith, Sylvia Robles
The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank, June 2007

"....A new World Bank report launched June 27 warns that poor countries are catching up with wealthier nations in terms of cancer, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, and that by 2015, these chronic illnesses will be the leading cause of death in developing countries. The report calls for actions to slow down the trend, and to prepare for subsequent heavy demand on health care budgets.

According to the new report, life expectancy for all age groups, lower fertility rates, better control of infectious diseases, and changing lifestyles with more smoking, bad diets and lack of exercise, mean that poor countries face a future where non-communicable diseases (NCDs) become a major problem. The report says that countries need to promote healthy aging and avoid premature deaths. They will also need to adapt their health systems to cope with the growing numbers of elderly people who will require long-term care and request expensive treatment.
The report says that in Indonesia, for example, private healthcare spending is projected to more than double by 2020, compared to 2005, as its elderly population grows in size, and needs treatment for chronic diseases...."