Global efforts to reduce deaths from cancer and heart disease are out of date | Global development

According to a report in the Lancet, more than half of the countries will not achieve the global goals of reducing deaths from cancer, heart disease and other chronic diseases.

In 2015, world leaders pledged to reduce chronic disease deaths among 30- to 70-year-olds by one-third as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, the latest figures show that progress in tackling this problem has so far been too slow to meet the 2030 deadline for achieving the goal.

Lancet research shows that death rates in one country in 10 have remained unchanged or worsened.

In the United States, for example, the death rate among women has stagnated, close to one in eight (12.5%) people dying from noncommunicable diseases between 30 and 70 years of age. On the other hand, in South Korea, the country with the best performance, the rate for women is one in 20.

In the United Kingdom, in 2016, women aged 30 had a 9% chance of dying from one of the four major noncommunicable diseases – cardiovascular diseases, cancer, respiratory diseases and diabetes – before their 70th birthday, while men had 13%.

South Korea, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Timor-Leste and New Zealand are expected to achieve Goal 3.4 for sustainable development.

Expanding the scope of research to include people under 80 offers an even darker picture, with only 17 countries (9%) on track to reach the goal for women and five countries for men (3% ). In 2016, 27.3 million people under the age of 80 died of chronic diseases.

The study, titled Countdown to NCDs 2030 and published before the UN high-level meeting on the subject in New York next week, found that mortality from chronic diseases was declining even regionally.

The authors, who believe that this may be due to a lack of improvement in risk factors such as smoking, alcohol and obesity, have called on policy makers to take action. The measures they have proposed include the introduction of restrictions, taxation and the ban on advertising to reduce the consumption of alcohol and tobacco. They also called for earlier diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases.

"Despite clear commitments, international aid agencies and national governments are doing too little to reduce deaths from cancer, heart and lung diseases and diabetes. Progress is even slower for other diseases and diabetes, which are not part of the Sustainable Development Goals, which means that the true health of populations in most countries is even more serious, "he said. Professor Majid Ezzati of Imperial College London. lead author.

"The 2030 NCD countdown is a boost for the global response to the NCD epidemic, which has long required a stronger accountability process," said Katie Dain, CEO (London) of the NCD Alliance.

"The aspirations and pledges of political leaders made at the meeting are now unresolved. Even governments that seem to be on the right track should not be complacent – they must remain vigilant and respond effectively to new threats to the health of the next generation, including childhood obesity, air pollution and tactics. "

In an editorial, Dr. Richard Horton, Lancet Editor, said, "Calls for increased accountability for NCDs have been launched for at least a decade. Many obstructions have blocked progress. The promises made by the international community must be kept. "