NCDs are responsible for 50% of all deaths in KP: Health Experts

A high-level meeting was held at Khyber Medical University (KMU) Peshawar under the joint chairmanship of vice-chancellor Prof. Dr Zia ul Haq and Special Secretary Health Abidullah Kakakhail, in which Dr Shaukat Ali, Director General of Health Services Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dr Akram Shah Chief HSRU Department of Health, Dr Nadeem Akhtar Chief Executive Officer, Healthcare Commission, Dr Riaz Tanoli Chief Executive Officer Health Card Plus, Center of Impact, World Bank and representatives of other relevant stakeholder organizations participated was informed that 50% of deaths and 40% of all disability-adjusted life years lost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular, diabetes, chronic respiratory disorders, cancers, and common mental disorders. The NCDs epidemic risks crippling the already overburdened health system & fragile economy of the province. There is a time-critical need to identify and implement affordable effective solutions to address NCDs.

The meeting was informed that to meet this need, a new Global Health Research Centre called Centre for IMPACT has been launched in Pakistan, recently. The Centre is the result of collaboration between seven leading universities, four in Pakistan including KMU and three in the UK. Prof. Dr Kamran Siddiqui and Prof. Dr Najma Siddiqui overall lead from York University UK. In KP, the Centre is led by Prof. Dr Zia Ul Haq, VC & Dean of Public health KMU.

After a long deliberation and discussion in the meeting, it was unanimously decided that a comprehensive action plan will be prepared soon in consultation with all stakeholders to deal with the challenge of NCDs and it will be submitted to the provincial government for approval.