Bridging the care gap: Global Week for Action on NCDs announces 2023 theme
23rd March 2023
Maria's story of receiving cancer care in Paraguay. 'Ray of Hope', a Facing Forward video presented by IAEA.
Half of the world’s population still cannot access essential health services. Millions are pushed into extreme poverty every year by healthcare costs. Poor people and communities in all countries are consistently left behind by health systems.
It’s time for this to change. That is why in 2023 the Global Week for Action (GW4A) on NCDs will centre on the theme of ‘Bridging the Care Gap’ . The aim will be to catalyse fair and effective solutions to support every person, every family and every community affected by NCDs in accessing care and treatment.
The care theme is especially relevant as we approach the second United Nations High-Level Meeting (UN HLM) on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in September 2023. The GW4A will take place from 14 to 21 September, finalising on the day of the UN HLM, and will act as an opportunity for civil society and people living with NCDs to collectively call on decision makers to fulfil their commitments and ensure that everyone has access to healthcare, regardless of their ability to pay, by 2030.
Despite commitments made, progress towards Universal Health Coverage has been unacceptably slow. It’s time for world leaders to move from promises to action, so everyone can enjoy equal access to the best health possible.
This is still far from the current reality - in many countries, coverage and access to NCD services is inadequate. Half of adults living with diabetes are undiagnosed and are unable to access the insulin they need; hypertension is only under medical control for one in five people; chronic kidney disease tends to go untreated with up to 90% of cases undiagnosed until lifesaving dialysis or a transplant is needed, and more than 90% of cancer patients in low-income countries lack access to radiotherapy.
“The brutal fact is that, for many people in the world, the chances of surviving an NCD depend heavily on the ability to pay. To change this, we are calling on decision makers ahead of the upcoming High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage to fulfil their commitments and take bold action.” - Katie Dain, CEO of the NCD Alliance
Furthermore, people living with NCDs in low- and middle-income countries are far more likely to go without adequate care, and in all countries poor people and communities are most often neglected. It is time to recognise this inequity for what it is: a violation of human rights on a global scale.
Visit the Global Week for Action on NCDs website to find out how to take part in calling for fair and effective solutions to support every person, every family and every community affected by NCDs and the cost of care and treatment.
The Global Week for Action on NCDs campaign theme was first announced on 23 March at the hybrid event Enabling People’s Right to Health through Universal Health Coverage for People Living with NCDs, co-hosted by the NCD Alliance, the Permanent Mission of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Rwanda, the World Health Organization, and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.
