In September 2011, the United Nations General Assembly passed a Resolution adopting the Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of non-communicable diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease (NCDs). The Declaration was indeed a historic landmark in public health for several reasons. First, it was only the second meeting at the […]
Poor Nutrition
As the deadline towards the MDG targets approaches, Pakistan remains one of the few countries that are struggling to meet these targets, especially Goal 4 and 5, which are directly related to the quality of maternal and child nutrition. Poor nutrition is probably now the single most significant preventable cause of ill- health and early […]
Fight against NCDs gains traction with publication of latest Lancet report
NCDs – including cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, cancer and diabetes – are today one of the main killers and causes of disability, not only in the developed world, but increasingly in low and middle income countries. In Pakistan’s case where over 70 percent of the 180 million population pay for healthcare directly from their […]
World Cancer Day—some personal reflections on NCDs
World Cancer Day is another occasion to recall the interconnectedness of risks, which provide an opportunity to tackle the world’s biggest killer—Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), a collective name given to ‘four diseases’ linked by ‘four lifestyle’ and ‘four biological’ risk factors. These diseases are a massive drain on health and the economy—evident in 36 million deaths […]
WEF 2013 aims for sustainable action on global health issues
Health was the cornerstone of the 43rd World Economic Forum Annual Meeting– which concluded yesterday. Global health and health systems featured prominently with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, key health ministers, and over 25 leaders from the healthcare industry in attendance, including our Founder and President, Dr Sania Nishtar. Founded in 1971, The World […]
The Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 (GBD 2010)
Non-communicable diseases, such as heart diseases and cancer, are the primary cause of disability and death worldwide today, signifying a demonstrable shift in the nature of global health. This is just one of several pivotal conclusions which have emerged from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2010 (GBD 2010). The study, […]
Prevention and control of NCDs
An important set of guidelines have been published by the World Health Organization, relevant to the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in primary low-resource health care settings. The guidelines can be accessed here.
Heartfile’s 2012 Clinton Global Initiative Commitment
At the end of September, our President and Founder Dr Sania Nishtar spent an inspiring few days at the eighth annual Clinton Global Initiative Meeting in New York. It was a meeting of minds where over 1,000 global leaders, CEOs, scientists, philanthropists, innovators, NGOs and journalists convened to forge solutions to the world’s most pressing […]