Based on a survey released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) today, the prevention and treatment services for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have been severely disrupted since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
The survey was completed by 155 countries during a three-week period in May.
“It confirmed that the impact is global, but that low-income countries are most affected.
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“This situation is of significant concern because people living with NCDs are at higher risk of severe Covid-19-related illnesses and death,” WHO announced.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO said the results of the survey confirm people who need treatment for diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes have not been receiving the health services and medicines they need since the pandemic started.
“It’s vital that countries find innovative ways to ensure that essential services for NCDs continue, even as they fight Covid-19,” he said.
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- Service disruptions are widespread:
The main finding is that health services have been partially or completely disrupted in many countries.
More than half (53 per cent) of the countries surveyed have partially or completely disrupted services for hypertension treatment, 49 per cent for treatment of diabetes and diabetes-related complications, 42 per cent for cancer treatment, and 31 per cent for cardiovascular emergencies.
Rehabilitation services have been disrupted in almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of countries although rehabilitation is key to a healthy recovery following severe illness from Covid-19.
- Reassignment of staff and postponing of screening:
In the majority (94 per cent) of countries responding, ministry of health staff working in the area of NCDs were partially or fully reassigned to support Covid-19.
The postponement of public screening programmes, like that for breast and cervical cancer, were also widespread.
This was consistent with initial WHO recommendations to minimise non-urgent facility-based care whilst tackling the pandemic.
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The most common reasons for discontinuing or reducing services were cancellations of planned treatments, a decrease in public transport available and a lack of staff because health workers had been reassigned to support Covid-19 services.
In one in five countries (20 per cent) reporting disruptions, one of the main reasons for discontinuing services was a shortage of medicines, diagnostics and other technologies.
“There appears to be a correlation between levels of disruption to services for treating NCDs and the evolution of the Covid-19 outbreak in a country.
“Services become increasingly disrupted as a country moves from sporadic cases to community transmission of the coronavirus,” WHO stated.
Globally, two-thirds of countries reported that they had included NCD services in their national Covid-19 preparedness and response plans.
Seventy-two per cent of high-income countries reported inclusion compared to 42 per cent of low-income countries.
Services to address cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease were the most frequently included.
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Dental services, rehabilitation and tobacco cessation activities were not as widely included in response plans according to country reports.
Seventeen percent of countries reporting have started to allocate additional funding from the government budget to include the provision of NCD services in their national Covid-19 plan.
- Alternative strategies for continuing care being implemented:
The survey found that alternative strategies have been established in most countries to support the people at highest risk to continue receiving treatment for NCDs.
Among the countries reporting service disruptions, globally 58 per cent of countries are now using telemedicine which includes advice by telephone or online means.
In low-income countries this figure is 42 per cent.
More than 70 per cent of countries reported collecting data on the number of Covid-19 patients who also have an NCD.
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“It will be some time before we know the full extent of the impact of disruptions to healthcare during Covid-19 on people with non-communicable diseases,” said Dr Bente Mikkelsen, director of the Department of Non-Communicable Diseases at WHO.
“We know people with NCDs are more vulnerable to becoming seriously ill with the virus, but many are unable to access the treatment they need to manage their illnesses.
“It is important that care for people living with NCDs is included in national response and preparedness plans for Covid-19 and that innovative ways are found to implement those plans,” WHO said.
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