WHO launched today a long-awaited report Saving lives, spending less: New WHO investment case for NCDs [1] outlining the investment case for addressing NCDs. For the first time, the health and economic benefits of implementing the WHO Best Buys [2] - the most cost-effective and feasible interventions to prevent and control NCDs - in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs) have been quantified. The report comes at a key time in the NCD response, as negotiations for the outcome of the third United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs are set to being in mid-June. 

The main findings of the report show that a 15 per cent reduction in premature mortality could be achieved by 2030 at a very low cost of just an additional $1.27 per person per year in LLMICs. 

Investing in NCD prevention and control not only improves health and saves lives, but also improves a country's economic and social standing. Addressing NCDs can improve workforce participation and productivity, protect families and individuals from unexpected health costs due to NCDs and the resulting financial burden, and to increased earning capacity. 

 

The report will be a powerful instrument for not only making the economic case for investing in NCDs, but also for catalysing the focused and smart use of resources. It also signals an important shift in focus and the current narrative around NCDs - moving from referring to NCDs as a cost and expenditure to a smart and sustainable investment for every country. 

 

The report lays out the 16 Best Buys and provides financing options to support their implementation.

 

The value of investing in NCDs is crystal clear for LLMICs. Investing in the package of WHO Best Buys will improve health, save 8.2 million lives and generate 350 billion USD in economic growth by 2030. 

The bottom line for governments: invest now, save later. 

 

"The new WHO report heeds NCD Alliance's longstanding call for a global investment case for NCDs. This will be a powerful instrument for not only making the economic case, but also catalysing focused & smart use of resources. The report signals an important shift in focus, from referring to NCDs as a cost and expenditure, to a smart and sustainable investment for every country." said Katie Dain, CEO of NCD Alliance