This constituency statement was led and delivered by NCD Alliance, with contributions from the World Heart Federation, under agenda item 10 – Primary Healthcare – at the 158th session of the WHO Executive Board.
Distinguished delegates,
Primary health care can deliver over 90% of the interventions needed to achieve UHC, making it central to the prevention, treatment, and long-term care of NCDs, including mental and neurological conditions. Yet NCD services remain poorly integrated into PHC systems, and strengthening this integration is essential as NCDs are the leading global cause of death globally.
We welcome the emphasis on strengthening PHC in the latest Political Declaration on NCDs and mental health, including its commitment to affordable access to essential NCD services in primary care. We support the Global Coalition on PHC, led by Kazakhstan, and the UHC Partnership in advancing this agenda through technical and policy support to integrate PHC into national health strategies.
However, we express concern that the integration of NCDs into PHC is only marginally addressed in the report.
We urge Member States:
– To implement targets set in the last Political Declaration of the UN HLM on NCDs and mental health, with at least 80% of PHC facilities in all countries having availability of WHO-recommended essential medicines and for NCDs and mental health conditions, at affordable prices, by 2030.
– To integrate NCD prevention and care into PHC, including rehabilitation and palliative care into health benefit packages.
– To ensure a people-centred approach with meaningful engagement of communities and people living with NCDs in designing, implementing and evaluating PHC services.
– To increase financing and reduce financial barriers at the PHC level, avoiding out-of-pocket expenses.
We look forward to the HLM on UHC next year, which will offer an important opportunity to secure commitments to further action.
Thank you
