Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla will on Monday, 16 September outline some of the government`s plans to tackle the burden of emerging pandemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), otherwise known as diseases of lifestyle.
The NCDs have emerged as a major global health challenge, affecting millions of individuals globally, and are among the leading causes of death in South Africa today.
In particular, diabetes remained the second leading underlying cause of death in 2020 at 6.6% of all deaths, following Covid-19 which reached South Africa in 2020 and became the leading cause of death.
A new report released by Statistics South Africa described rising non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory conditions, and cancers as a looming health crisis which requires an urgent attention.
Deputy Minister Phaahla will outline the response plan during a roundtable discussion on the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) - a collaboration between national research funding agencies in Canada, China, India, South Africa and also the World Health Organization (WHO).
The initiative aims to develop linked international intervention cohorts that will implement and test approaches to prevent overweight and obesity in children and risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and improve early childhood development (ECD).
The event will be attended by amongst others, experts from SA Medical Research Council, academics from institutions of higher learning, representatives from High Commission of Canada in South Africa and World Health Organization.
Details of the event are as follows:
Date: Monday 16 September 2024
Venue: SAMRC, 1 Soutpansberg Road, Pretoria
Time: 9h00
For more information and media enquiries, please contact:
Mr Foster Mohale
Health Departmental Spokesperson
0724323792
Foster.mohale@health.gov.za
Mr Doctor Tshwale
Media Liaison Officer for Health Deputy Minister
063 657 8487
Doctor.tshwale@health.gov.za
