[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]WHO GCM/NCD Global Dialogue on the role of non-State actors in supporting Member States in their national efforts to tackle NCDs as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”Download Now” color=”primary” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sancda.org.za%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F11%2FCo-Chairs-statement-of-the-WHO-GCM-NCD-Global-Dialogue_Oct-2016_FINAL-1.pdf|||”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
November 5th the Horseshoe Inn played host to the first Northern Cape NCDs workshop. The workshop was in partnership with the Northern Cape Department of Health and the SA NCD Alliance. The goal was to ascertain the feasibility of NCDs testing and problems faced by those on ground level.
The workshop attended by all sectors of the government departments from health facilities across the province. As well as industry and NGOs working in the province. The working groups aim is to find a working base line for testing and screening in the province at all levels.
The Northern Cape Department of Health made a commitment to working towards the goals of screening. Taking directive from what has worked and what the practitioners on the ground commented on what needs to be done for the goals to be achieved.
NGOs such as CANSA and industry attendees DisChem outlined their successes through their screening drives and initiatives. DisChem had managed to screen 22,000+ people in the province with their screening drive in partnership with The Heart and Stroke Foundation over the month of October. CANSA had screening initiatives running and various hospitals in the province consistently.
During the workshop, Project Hope ran screening facilities for the workshop attendees. This gave the attendees a feeling for what needs to be done to greatly increase the numbers of people tested in the province. As well, it gave them a glimpse into their own NCD status that often would go unchecked due to the nature of their fields and overlooking themselves.
The problems outlined through the workshop were the cost and the logistics of the screening results. Firstly, the cost of R32 per blood glucose test and R55 per cardio patient focused testing. The cost is enormous and there simply is not the dedicated government budget put aside for the testing of patients and the clinics and primary care facilities do not have the resources to cover this. Coupled with this is a competent data capturing format that can allow health care givers to capture the results and it be sent nationally for areas of focus to be ascertained. This is essential in the process because without proper results and data capture the exercise is pointless.
The SA NCD Alliance left the workshop feeling confident that a start on a long and fruitful venture and partnership with the Northern Cape DoH had been forged. The road is a long one yet with constant skills and knowledge sharing as well as communication the goals outlined can be achieved.
In 2011 President Jacob Zuma and the South African government committed to NCDs prevention and control in line with global conventions. Since then many more commitments have been undertaken. As part of civil society’s watchdog role the SA NCD Alliance monitors how the government is doing. Today we release our report card covering the years from 2010 to March 2015. Click here to download the report.
March 2005 marks halfway through the national NCDs plan. There is still a lot to be done.
SA is doing fairly well at “population”
measures to prevent NCDs like legislation on smoking, salt reduction and food labeling. The relatively cost effective measures mean a bigger bang for each rand spent. We are all for that. However, there is much more to NCDs prevention and treatment (control.)
There are 6 main areas in the WHO’s NCDs Global Action Plan 2013-2020 are used to benchmark the governments progress. Out of over 25 indicators (see table below):
♦ Less than 1/4 were met:
♦ At least 3/25 critical items were not achieved; and
♦ the bulk (64%) were partially achieved or implemented.
This report was compiled by using official government reports, budgets and transparent interaction with stakeholders. It is a first of its kind in South Africa. Over 600 data sources were used. The Parliamentary Monitoring Group was the major source of government meetings.
None of this is a surprised to the National Department of Health because a year ago, armed with the preliminary findings, a NCDs Network delegation discussed our concerns with the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla. Sadly not much has changed since then.
Issues of concern include:
♦ A continuing and alarming trend to make policy and plans without any budgetary allocation;
♦ Minuscule budgetary allocation for NCDs within the Primary Health Care programme budget;
♦ Lack of provincial NCDs plans and budgets – the provinces provided the care but can’t do it without dedicated resources;
♦ Failure to include people living with NCDs in the roll out of “ideal clinics” (also known as Operation Phakisa and “integrated chronic care model”);
♦ Lack of patient-centredness including consultation with patients and those living with the illnesses (nothing for us, without us);
♦ Poor or non-existent monitoring and evaluation.
There is more but we would like you to take look. You be the judge, you use the services.
Below see the 6 areas of the WHO Global Action Plan. Green indicates achievement. Red no progress. Blue no evidence. All the rest partial progress/ implementation.
Download here
Over 
200 civil society representatives from 6 contents adopted the Sharjah Declaration on NCDs at the first Global NCD Alliance forum. South Africa was represented Elize Joubert (CEO CANSA) and Vicki Pinkney-Atkinson. Click here to download the declaration.
The SA NCD Alliance committed to support the 2030 Agenda (code for Sustainable Development Goals) by:
- Joining forces – working together;
- Accelerating NCDs action by advocating for change;
- Increasing accountability for NCDs by monitoring progress. (see NCDs Score Card.)
We call on the SA government and policy makers to:
- Encourage high-level government authorities across all sectors to champion NCD prevention and control and integrate NCDs into national development plans and frameworks;
- Accelerate the implementation of agreed plans, political commitments, targets and goals, and promote evidence-based, affordable and cost-effective, population-wide interventions;
- Allocate adequate, sustained human and financial resources to NCD prevention and control;
- Protect public health policies from interference by vested interests, particularly from the alcohol, tobacco and food and beverage industries, and from legal challenges under international trade and investment agreements;
- Protect the fundamental human right to health and create environments that empower individuals, families and communities to make healthy choices and lead healthy lives;
- Ensure all people living with NCDs have access to affordable, quality NCD services, medicines and technologies, across the entire continuum of care, including palliative care;
- Engage civil society and people living with or affected by NCDs in policy development, implementation, coordination mechanisms and monitoring, and provide capacity-building to NCD alliances and networks, particularly in low- and middle-income countries;
- Establish robust and transparent monitoring and evaluation systems in order to regularly report on NCD policy progress and health outcomes at national, regional and global level.
