BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, September 27, 2018 (PLP PR Media Inc.) -- Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, on Thursday September 27 co-chaired with Zambian President His Excellency Edgar Changwa Lungu the first multi-stakeholder panel of the third High-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases held at the Trusteeship Council Chamber at the UN Headquarters in New York City.
Prime Minister Harris who also serves as CARICOM’s lead spokesperson on Human Resource, Health and HIV Matters told the meeting that investing in the NCD agenda not only improve health and save lives but will also improve a country’s economic productivity. He added that such investing will improve workforce participation and productivity and limit the financial burden of unexpected health costs from NCDs on the pockets of the citizens.
“According to WHO, if we help the poorest countries in the world to invest US$1 per person per year in the NCD agenda, the world will save more than 8 million lives by 2030 and generate US$350 billion in economic output,” said Dr Harris who was supported by Foreign Affairs Minister the Hon Mark Brantley, and Minister of State for Health the Hon Wendy Phipps. “If we do this in all countries in the world, WHO estimates that we will already avoid 10 million premature deaths from NCDs by 2025.”
The Honourable Prime Minister told the meeting that this is a time of immense opportunity. He noted that in the 2018 Political Declaration on NCDs endorsed in the morning, Presidents and Prime Ministers agreed to “strengthen their commitment, as Heads of State and Government, to provide strategic leadership for the prevention and treatment of NCDs”.
Dr Harris put forward questions that were to be deliberated at the first multi-stakeholder panel that included how Heads of State and Government could ensure that national universal coverage (UHC) packages include NCD and mental health services. He also posed: “What are the lessons learned from countries that have developed and implemented fiscal policies to finance NCD responses?”
Co-Chair His Excellency Edgar Changwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia told the gathering that it was “an honour and privilege for my distinguished Co-Chair, His Excellency Timothy Harris, Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and myself to welcome you all to this first multi-stakeholder panel of the third High-Level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases.”
President Lungu said non-communicable diseases are a growing concern in Zambia, as they account for one out of three deaths and that most occur before the ages of 70 and could have been avoided. He told the meeting that his country is receiving support from WHO, UNDP and the WHO-led UN Inter-Agency Task Force on NCDs. He added: “Primary Health Care basic services at community level are free in Zambia to the general population but are more tailored to combat communicable diseases.”
Keynote speaker at the panel was Mr Michael Bloomberg, the Founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies, in his capacity as the WHO Global Ambassador for NCDs and Injuries. Making statements from the stakeholder panellists were Ms Sania Nishtar, Founding President of Heartlife, a non-governmental organisation in Pakistan; Ms Zoleka Mandela, Founder of the Zoleka Mandela Foundation; and Dr Yokshitake Yokokura, President, World Medical Association.
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