S E Asian nations to target combating NCDs

With an estimated 7.9 million people dying every year due to non-communicable diseases, 11 South-East Asian countries are expected to adopt targets for their prevention and control by 2025.
Major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) - cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, cancer and diabetes - together account almost 55 per cent of all deaths in the South-East Asian Region (SEAR), WHO estimates say.
To share concerns of the region on NCDs, their health ministers will attend the 31st meeting and 66th session of the WHO Regional Committee here which will be inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee tomorrow.
The ministers are expected to adopt the "New Delhi Declaration on High Blood Pressure" when it discusses the key issue of high blood pressure and its implications on health.

They will map the way forward on ageing and health, as the 'Yogyakarta Declaration on Ageing and Health in 2012 sets out key action points and commitments on promoting ageing and health.
With the 2015 target date for achieving Millennium Development Goals approaching, there is a debate on what goals the global community should set next and the SEAR ministers of health would contemplate on this keeping regional preferences in context.
The 10 targets proposed to be adopted to prevent NCDs include, 25 per cent relative reduction in overall mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, or chronic respiratory diseases, 10 per cent relative reduction in the harmful use of alcohol, 30 per cent relative reduction in prevalence of current tobacco use in persons aged over 15 years.