South Africa and Action on NCDs
The SANCDA and partners are urging government to help lower NCDs related deaths and implement ongoing, sustained care for people living with NCDs, during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The SANCDA makes the call for better monitoring, data and action on commitments and integrating NCDs into the COVID-19 response. The health needs of people with NCDs must be met at primary health care level close to the community within national health insurance (NHI). The treatment and management of NCDs, including pain medication, must be available and accessible to all NCDs patients.
Dr Vicki Pinkney-Atkinson, Director
of the SANCDA says, “Accountability means that we, the people must monitor the commitments to act made by government and policymakers. We want to see that promises are kept and measured. Before COVID-19, the NCDs group of conditions caused most deaths in South Africa but remained neglected within government policy and budgets. COVID-19 has highlighted this neglect, and most people who die following COVID-19 infection, have one or more NCDs. People living with well managed NCDs have a better chance of survival. We have to keep on asking government for people living with NCDs to have proper access to care and medicines during the pandemic and into the future.”
Zodwa Sithole, CANSA’s Head of Advocacy, adds, “Everyone is affected by NCDs in some way, including a cancer diagnosis. Be it living with an NCD, caring for someone with an NCD or being at risk for an NCD. South Africans need to stand together and be voices of change, calling on government to step up with meaningful action to lower preventable suffering, death and disability from NCDs.” #CANSAadvocacy