Rising cases of NCDs worry medics

Medics and other stakeholders in the health sector are a worried lot as a result of rising cases of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).

The NCDs disease burden is on the rise not only in Kenya but across the globe.

For instance, it is estimated that cases of diabetes, which is one of the NCDs will be 41 million by 2045, a 156% increase from 16 million cases reported in 2017 in Africa, this is according to Dr. Nancy Ngugi (Endocrinologist).

Dr. Ngugi says the cost of managing diabetes patients is high in Kenya and emphasizes on the importance of Kenyans to go for regular blood pressure screening, blood sugar screening, and checking cholesterol levels for early detection of health complications.

All these was contained in Dr. Ngugi’s presentation during the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) symposium themed: Managing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the era of Universal Health Coverage held on 25th October, 2019.

The symposium was officially opened by UoN College of Health Sciences (CHS) Principal Prof. James Machoki and KNH Board of Management Chairman Eng. Nicholas Gumbo.

In his remarks, Prof. Machoki said there needs to be a collective effort globally to reduce the burden of NCDs.

“In health everyone matters, be it the patient, the healthcare provider, the researcher and many other stakeholders in this sector, that will ensure that we succeed,” Prof. Machoki said.

On his part, Eng. Gumbo said Non-Communicable Diseases account for 55% of deaths in Kenya raising a big concern.

“The rise of NCDs has increased healthcare burden piling pressure on the national budget. Medical facilities can't cope up with the increasing demand resulting from NCDs hence the need to try and quickly find a way out,” Eng. Gumbo said.

The symposium was organized to provide a platform for stakeholders in the health sector to interact and share on possible ways of management of NCDs and their resulting burden in Kenya.