NCD Synergies is building a community focused on addressing the endemic noncommunicable diseases and injuries of extreme poverty.
Among the poorest, the greatest loss of life and health due to NCDs and injuries occurs before age 40. Many of these people suffer from injuries and illnesses that are treatable and should no longer be fatal, even in the poorest settings.
Ministries of health and implementers who seek to bridge this gap must contend with minimal resources as they work to enact policies to benefit all people living with noncommunicable diseases and injuries, including the poorest.
A vision of health equity
NCD Synergies works from three pillars to strengthen connections between national policymakers, local implementers, and regional partners. We do so through supporting policies that focus on the poorest and hardest to reach populations, employing better tools to more effectively and equitably respond to local burden of disease, and emphasizing the importance of comprehensive NCD and injury care across all levels of the health system.
- Promoting a research, policy, and advocacy agenda around the NCDs and injuries of extreme poverty.
- Supporting ministries of health to prioritize equitable design of policies and clinical services.
- Developing a catalog of findings and best practices filtered for our community of implementers dedicated to equity.
Rwanda Health Communications Commission
Dr. Theophile Dushime, Director General of Clinical Services for the Rwanda Ministry of Health, and Dr. Gene Bukhman, Partners In Health, speak at the 2013 NCD Synergies Conference in Kigali, Rwanda.
Planning for the future
At the 2013 NCD Synergies Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, more than 170 attendees from 18 countries attended to discuss national planning challenges for noncommunicable diseases with a specific focus on NCDs and poverty. The conference was designed as a platform to share experiences across countries regarding NCD strategic planning, implementation, and advocacy.
As the project has grown, NCD Synergies has formalized partnerships with several countries to make NCD planning priorities achievable through staff support and collaboration with partners on the ground. NCD Synergies has learned from service delivery examples in Rwanda and Malawi to develop a Chronic Care Toolkit to inform planning and implementation across its network. We work with our community to amplify the Voices of people living with NCDs and injuries in settings of extreme poverty. The NCD Synergies network also regularly participates in regional and global dialogues across the NCD and global development space, including webinars and knowledge exchanges.
How you can help
There have been many positive efforts to provide care for NCDs and injuries in low-income countries. Some have been led by ministries of health, and others by non-governmental organizations or academic researchers. We believe that it is possible to care for all people living with NCDs and injuries today, by building a community of leading MOH professionals, researchers, and providers working together to expand treatment to the very poorest patients.
Your contributions are central to the NCD Synergies approach. We need your support, your collaboration, your dedication, and your feedback to make this network a valuable resource.
Contact the NCD Synergies team to find out how to get involved.