{"id":18365,"date":"2024-09-27T10:28:36","date_gmt":"2024-09-27T08:28:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world-heart-federation.org\/?post_type=news&p=18365"},"modified":"2024-09-27T10:33:15","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T08:33:15","slug":"whf-urges-countries-to-develop-cardiovascular-action-plans-launches-global-petition","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/world-heart-federation.org\/news\/whf-urges-countries-to-develop-cardiovascular-action-plans-launches-global-petition\/","title":{"rendered":"WHF urges countries to develop cardiovascular action plans, launches global petition"},"content":{"rendered":"
Geneva, 27 September 2024:<\/strong> The World Heart Federation (WHF) is today launching a global petition<\/a>, urging all countries to have a \u2018National Cardiovascular Action Plan\u2019 to tackle heart disease, the world\u2019s number one killer. Improving cardiovascular health requires strategies that are tailored to the national, regional, and local context, and must take the socioeconomic environment and healthcare system into account, they argue.<\/p>\n Marking this year\u2019s World Heart Day with the petition launch, the WHF hopes the call to action will inspire a more robust and coordinated response to cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is responsible for more than 20.5 million deaths every year.<\/p>\n As many as 80% of these deaths from heart attacks and strokes are preventable, but early findings by WHF show that as few as 7% of countries have standalone plans or strategies to tackle CVD. In contrast, 87% of countries have already developed National Cancer Action Plans, demonstrating the progress that must be made to improve cardiovascular health.<\/p>\n So far, most of the countries with a standalone National CVD Action Plan or Strategy in place are based in Europe and the Western Pacific Region.<\/p>\n The staggering number of deaths from heart disease combined with scarce plans to tackle the disease, highlights the urgent need for the remaining countries to develop tailored strategies to address cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n For over two decades, WHF has been leading the World Heart Day movement, which is celebrated every year on 29 September \u2013 raising awareness about CVD, calling for better healthcare policies and more funding for heart heath research.<\/p>\n This World Heart Day, WHF aims to secure over a million signatures to send a strong message and urge elected leaders to make a bold political declaration at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases in 2025.<\/p>\n Jean-Luc Eisel\u00e9, Chief Executive of World Heart Federation said<\/strong>: \u201cCardiovascular disease claims more lives than all forms of cancer and chronic lower respiratory disease combined yet efforts to combat CVD at a national level fall short almost everywhere in the world. We have the knowledge and tools to improve cardiovascular health outcomes and give everyone access to appropriate care.<\/p>\n \u201cA National Cardiovascular Action Plan acts as a strategic tool to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke, while also cutting healthcare costs and losses due to low productivity\u2014in turn, saving hundreds of billions of dollars annually worldwide.<\/p>\n \u201cThis World Heart Day, we encourage people all over the world to sign our petition and send a powerful message to all political leaders that an action plan is necessary to improve heart health and prevent premature deaths caused by CVD. Nations need to develop tailored plans to protect communities from the world\u2019s biggest killer.\u201d<\/p>\n Sign the first-ever global petition for health heart here: https:\/\/world-heart-federation.org\/world-heart-day\/petition\/<\/a><\/p>\n ENDS<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n