Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and mental health disorders – are a global health crisis impacting people everywhere.
According to the World Health Organization, NCDs are responsible for the largest percentage of global morbidity and mortality, and accounting for 60 percent of all deaths worldwide. They account for 36 million deaths annually 80 percent of which occur in developing countries and countries in transition.
While infectious diseases like AIDS, Ebola and Zika have dominated global health interventions, conversations and investments in the past, NCDs have emerged as another public health crisis. They impose a double burden on patients in low and lower-middle income countries (LICs and LMICs), which have under-resourced health care systems with multiple barriers that limit access to diagnosis, treatment and care.
The Access Accelerated initiative is a first-of-its-kind, multi-stakeholder collaboration focused on improving NCD care in LICs and LMICs, and will work towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal target to reduce premature deaths from NCDs by one third by 2030.
Over the course of 2017, Access Accelerated’s initial disease focus will be on cancer. The initiative will work in partnership with the World Bank and Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to reduce barriers to access to the prevention of and care for NCDs.
The coalition of companies will serve as a foundational partner of the UICC’s City Cancer Challenge (C/Can 2025), which was also launched at the World Economic Forum. C/Can 2025 will engage cities around the world with a population over one million to improve cancer treatment and care, working with specific ‘learning cities’ in low- and middle-income countries which require international support to develop effective and sustainable cancer care delivery for their citizens.
With the World Bank Group the initiative will identify solutions to address financing, regulatory and service delivery barriers at country level.