Delivering non-communicable disease services through primary health care in selected south Asian countries: are health systems prepared?

In the south Asian region, delivering non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and control services through existing primary health-care (PHC) facilities is urgently required yet currently challenging. As the first point of contact with the health-care system, PHC offers an ideal window for prevention and continuity of care over the life course, yet the implementation of PHC to address NCDs is insufficient. This review considers evidence from five south Asian countries to derive policy-relevant recommendations for designing integrated PHC systems that include NCD care. Findings reveal high political commitment but poor multisectoral engagement and health systems preparedness for tackling chronic diseases at the PHC level. There is a shortage of skilled human resources, requisite infrastructure, essential NCD medicines and technologies, and dedicated financing. Although innovations supporting integrated interventions exist, such as innovations focusing on community-centric approaches, scaling up remains problematic. To deliver NCD services sustainably, governments must aim for increased financing and a redesign of PHC service. Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Citation

Syed Masud Ahmed, Anand Krishnan, Obaida Karim, Kashif Shafique, Nahitun Naher, Sanjida Ahmed Srishti, Aravind Raj, Sana Ahmed, Lal Rawal, Alayne Adams. Delivering non-communicable disease services through primary health care in selected south Asian countries: are health systems prepared? The Lancet. Global health. 2024 Oct;12(10):e1706-e1719

Mesh Tags

PMID: 39178879

search → result