Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health conditions (MHC) contribute heavily to global premature mortality, morbidity and disability, yet they remain the most underfunded public health issues, with insufficient investments to achieve SDG 3.4 (by 2030 reduce by one third pre-mature mortality from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) through prevention and treatment, and promote mental health and well-being). Without action, 150 million adults (aged 30 to 70 years) will die prematurely from NCDs in the next 10 years. Despite these well-known facts, millions of people cannot access the services for prevention, treatment and care that could prevent or delay NCDs, mental health conditions and their consequences.
The NCD and mental health community has done its homework to make the epidemiological and economic case for prioritizing and investing in NCDs and MHC. Costing, cost-effectiveness and investment cases have been undertaken at the global and national levels to identify and demonstrate the costs associated with scale-up and the value for money of implementing interventions. Efforts to prioritize NCD and MH services in essential health benefit packages have been mobilized in several countries. Revenue raising through health taxation has been shown to be an effective strategy to earmark funds for health. And yet – domestic investments remain insufficient and often minimal.
Due to competing and pressing priorities, countries face limited options to invest in addressing NCDs and MH conditions. The unique nature of NCDs and of many MH conditions as chronic and life-long conditions deserves special attention within the context of both horizontal and vertical equity considerations. Repositioning NCDs and mental health as not just a major public health issue – but also as a development issue – is critical to changing perceptions and increasing the appetite of ministries of finance to reprioritize domestic funding accordingly. What can countries do now to move from generating evidence, to achieving impact?
Join this NCD Hard Talk session to learn from experts on key health financing challenges for NCDs and MHC, lessons from country experiences and a frank discussion on emerging solutions.