WAF – Dar es Salaam: African countries have been advised to take immediate and joint measures in response to the increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) which have now become a serious threat to health, economic development and social welfare in the continent.
The call has been issued by the Minister of Health, Hon. Mohamed Mchengerwa on behalf of the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan during the Third International Regional Strategic Conference of PEN-Plus on combating non-communicable diseases (ICPPA 2026), today June 23, 2026, in the city of Dar es Salaam.
Hon. Mchengerwa said that non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, tuberculosis, heart diseases, chronic diseases of the respiratory system as well as mental health problems, are increasing rapidly and require urgent measures and joint cooperation.
“For a long time these diseases were seen as a challenge for developed countries, but now they have become a big challenge for African countries, contributing to the increase in household poverty, decrease in production and increasing the burden on health systems,” said Hon. Mchengerwe
He added that “When families lack services for non-communicable diseases due to distance, high cost or complete unavailability of services, they not only lose the opportunity for treatment, but also lose income, time, respect and sometimes the lives of their loved ones”.
In addition, Hon. Mchengerwa has emphasized the importance of investing in basic health services to ensure that citizens have access to preventive services, early diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and long-term monitoring near the places where they live.
He explained that according to the statistics of the World Health Organization (WHO), non-communicable diseases cause more than 43 million deaths every year in the world, equivalent to 74 percent of all deaths. More than 17 million people die before reaching the age of 70, with the majority of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries, including many in Africa.
“This meeting is an important opportunity to build regional cooperation, share experiences and set effective strategies that will help strengthen health systems and ensure non-communicable disease services are available on time, with quality and at low cost to all citizens,” said Hon. Mchengerwe
Finally, he has asked the participants of the meeting to continue to cooperate in building health systems that emphasize prevention, early detection and continuous care, to ensure that no African loses his life because health services were far away, expensive or delayed.
