WHO, UNDP and the United Nations Interagency Task Force (UNIATF) on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) held a multistakeholder meeting in Minsk, Belarus to present the results of the NCD investment case.
The report showed that the Belarus economy loses 5.4% of its national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) each year due to premature deaths, morbidity and disability caused by NCDs and the associated reduced workforce productivity which poses a threat to the sustainable socioeconomic development of the country.
The findings suggest that the direct government expenditure on health care for NCDs is US$ 167 million, which is just the tip of the iceberg, representing only 7% of the actual economic burden NCDs are placing on Belarus. The hidden costs from premature deaths and lost productivity (absenteeism, presenteeism) are almost 13 times higher than the NCD-related healthcare costs. Altogether, the drag that NCDs impose on the Belarus economy is US$ 2.4 billion per year, which is equivalent to 5.4% of the country`s economic output.
Batyr Berdyklychev, WHO Representative in Belarus said, “the results of the NCD investment case provide strong arguments for the Government for investing into NCD prevention as the most effective and efficient measure not only to improve population health status but also to boost country socio-economic growth”.
Public health and development challenges in Belarus
The four major NCDs – cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic respiratory disease, diabetes and cancer and their risk factors (unhealthy diet, tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, and physical inactivity) are an increasing public health and development challenge in Belarus. NCDs are responsible for 89% of all deaths in the country. Most worryingly, the probability of dying prematurely between the age of 30 and 70 from NCDs in Belarus is 29%, with chances of premature death for men (38%) twice as high as they are for women (15%).
Six in ten Belarusians are overweight, salt consumption is at least two times higher than the WHO recommended daily intake and almost half of men use tobacco. Now that the economic burden of the main risk factors and their related NCDs on the country`s health system and economy have been estimated – as well as the benefits of scaled up action – there is a need for the Government to bring all health and non-health sectors on board in order to counteract the trend and halt the rise of NCDs.
The economic analysis clearly highlights that a healthier population will enable savings on disability payments and a reduction in workforce replacement costs, as well as the economic gains that will come from reduced premature death of people of working age.
“The economic burden of NCDs in Belarus is striking – costing every man, woman and child in the country the equivalent of US$ 270 per year. This has ramifications far beyond the health sector, threatening demographic security and achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” said Dudley Tarlton, Programme Specialist at the UN Development Programme.
NCD investment case report
The NCD investment case report was launched at the meeting which was jointly organized by UNIATF, WHO Regional Office for Europe, its Office for the Prevention and control of NCDs, the WHO Country Office in Belarus, and UNDP with the generous financial support from the Government of the Russian Federation and hosted by the Ministry of Health of Belarus Republic. The report provided an economic analysis of the NCD epidemic in Belarus. The investment case was developed through the One Health Tool, which utilises a model of economic damage assessment.
The report quantified the costs of packages of policy interventions in the area of control of tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity. Additionally, the case defined the rates of the return on investment (ROI) that the Government of Belarus will get form scaling up the implementation of a national NCD programme. Intervention in the area of the reduction of salt consumption provided the highest return of 94 dollars on each dollar invested during the 15 years’ time. Tobacco control measures will provide a return of 31 to 1, and physical activity, harmful use of alcohol control measures and CVD and diabetes clinical interventions prove to be cost-effective leading to significant positive economic effects.
“The investment case tells us about the importance of investing in health through the scaled-up actions to prevent and control NCDs,” said Alexey Kulikov, External Relations Officer in the UNIATF Secretariat. “It clearly shows that measures to reduce NCD risk factors are relatively cheap and provide huge benefits for the national economy. Effective implementation of these policies requires all line ministries, parliament and civil society to work in a coordinated manner towards building a healthy environment in Belarus”.
With this information, Belarus can take the next steps to implementing these policy interventions and it is vital for the Belarus government to involve sectors beyond just health to do so. The meeting was presented to engage all ministries including trade, finance, agriculture, education and others to ensure that a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach is taken and all sectors recognise the position they play in improving the health both of the people and the economy of Belarus.
The forum was attended by the representatives of the Government, Minister of Health, ministries of finance, economy, education, agriculture, labour and social protection, internal affairs, tax and duties, trade, foreign affairs, state agencies on food industry, medical technologies and administration, representatives of civil society and academia and development partners, by the UN Resident coordinator and representatives from the seven agencies also joined the meeting: The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), The United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Bank, International Organization of Migration (IOM) and the World Health Organization (WHO) at all levels (global, Regional Office for Europe and Country Office).