Latest News and Updates

The NCD Synergies attended the UN Interactive Hearing on the Prevention and Control of NCDs on July 5th, 2018 as part of the formal preparatory process to the UN High Level Meeting on NCDs later this year (Sep 27 2018), providing a statement from the floor with recommendations for the draft political declaration. PIH's intervention underscored the need for a rights-based approach and prioritizing equitable delivery of NCD care inclusive of the world's poorest populations.

From June 11-12 2018, the NCD Synergies team co-hosted a regional dialogue with colleagues from Mozambique Institute of Health Education and Research and Harvard Medical School, to broaden the framework of NCDs and injuries across Southern Africa. The meeting brought over 40 people from 10 countries to Maputo, Mozambique for two days of discussion and regional planning.

In late May 2018, NCD Synergies attended the 71st World Health Assembly in Geneva. At WHA, a Resolution on Rheumatic Fever and RHD was adopted, which is of particular interest to populations in settings of extreme poverty. Universal health coverage and the UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs were also major discussion points throughout the week.

The Nepal NCDI Poverty Commission is the first National Commission to launch a national report, featuring national-level analysis and key findings to guide NCDI clinical implementation and care. The report was launched alongside global Commissioners, the Nepal MOH, and WHO.

NCD Synergies and the Program in Global NCDs and Social Change at Harvard Medical School has partnered with the World Health Organization to host regular virtual meetings and webinars to guide the conversation around NCDs, poverty and development in the lead-up to the UN High-level Meeting on NCDs.

In honor of World Cancer Day 2018, NCD Synergies and the Lancet NCDI Poverty Commission are sharing video narratives of four people living with cancer in rural Ethiopia and Nepal. Their stories, part of the Voices of NCDI Poverty initiative, highlight the importance of addressing the equity gap in access to cancer services among the world's poorest populations.

From 2017-2020, Partners In Health will be collaborating with Helmsley Charitable Trust on a $12 million partnership to support increased access to type 1 diabetes and integrated NCD care across four PIH sites in sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti.

The Lancet Commission on Reframing NCDs and Injuries for the Poorest Billion reconvened in Kigali, Rwanda for a 2nd in-person meeting from 28-30 September, featuring 14 commissioners and national representatives from 11 countries. The meeting focused on reviewing progress of the global working groups, discussing the final report outline, and presenting proposed work at national level.

As one of the first products related to the NCDI Poverty Commission, researchers have recently released a paper which presents evidence that among the world's poorest populations, the burden of death and disability from CVD affects people at a much younger age than in high-income countries and is caused mainly by infectious and environmental risk factors.

On April 14-17, 2016, NCD Synergies hosted a Kenya Ministry of Health delegation to present on their partnership around target setting and metrics for NCDIs in Kenya. The visit culminated with a presentation at the Unite for Sight: Global Health Innovation Conference at Yale University.

On World Cancer Day, the NCD Synergies team reflects on the need to address global disparities in cancer care, the ways in which the HIV/AIDS movement can inform the future of policy and advocacy for cancer and NCDs in low-income countries, and how individuals can get involved moving forward.

The first full meeting of the The Lancet Commission on Reframing NCDs and Injuries for the Poorest Billion took place over three days in London in January 2016. It brought the 23 commissioners together to discuss the objectives, timeline, and work plan for the commission.

With leadership from clinicians in Haiti and Rwanda, PIH is working to change the unjust realities that our diabetes patients face. This work was highlighted at the 2015 World Diabetes Congress in Vancouver, with several Haitian diabetes experts in attendance to present and share their experiences.

Watch Dr. Paul Farmer discuss the challenges of NCD and Injury care, and announce PIH's commitment to a new Lancet commission focused on NCDs and injuries of the poorest billion people. This commission aims to mend a great disparity in health and to broaden the current noncommunicable disease agenda in the interest of equity.

On May 29, 2015, the Kenya Ministry of Health and NCD Synergies gathered nearly 50 stakeholders for a meeting on improved target setting and metrics for NCDs and injuries in Kenya. The meeting featured presentations and panels (audio included) from diverse perspectives, and ended by convening a working group.