Chronic disease getting scant attention in many countries: report

Just a small percentage of low- and middle-income countries' healthcare budgets are allocated toward the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases even though such illnesses are expected to account for 69% of global deaths by 2030, according to a paper being published on TheLancet.com.

The paper, “Prevention and management of chronic disease: a litmus test for health-systems strengthening in low-income and middle-income countries,” is part of the journal’s Chronic Disease and Development series, which is exploring the burden of chronic diseases on low-resource countries. According to the authors, by 2030, 80% of deaths from chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes will occur in low- and middle-income countries. While many of these countries posses the medical technology needed for preventing and managing these diseases they lack the health-system infrastructure and support systems necessary for a sustain, broad-reaching approach to chronic-disease care.

The authors recommended five actions that countries and global-health officials should consider in order to better address chronic diseases. They include making discourse on chronic diseases a central part of the emerging agenda for strengthening healthcare systems; using chronic-disease improvements as a measure for healthcare system improvement and agreeing on common targets for improvement; and increasing funding for healthcare-system improvement efforts.