World Health Organization. Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean

Strengthening resilience of health care systems in Lebanon: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

Lebanon

12 Sep 2023

Lebanon was already facing crises before the COVID-19 outbreak, including economic collapse and the world’s highest number of refugees per capita. The Beirut Port explosion in August 2020 further devasted the country’s economy. Despite all this, Lebanon has taken effective steps to combat noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which are responsible for approximately 91% of all deaths in the country....

12 Sep 2023

World Health Organization. Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean

Improving access to NCD and mental health services in Sudan: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

Sudan

11 Sep 2023

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for 52% of deaths in Sudan, but addressing the burden of NCDs is not straightforward. Sudan is home to over 1.2 million refugees, and geographic, demographic and financial factors add to the complexity of the country’s NCD burden. However, through strong collaboration across government departments and with nongovernmental organizations, international agenc...

11 Sep 2023

World Health Organization. Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean

Tackling risk factors for NCDs in Jordan: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

Jordan

11 Sep 2023

Jordan addressed tobacco use and mental health as two public health priorities both before and during the pandemic. Through extensive multisectoral collaboration, bringing together multiple government departments, nongovernmental organizations and international agencies, Jordan has taken effective steps to address tobacco use and mental health. It has also used this collaborative approach to tackl...

11 Sep 2023

World Health Organization. Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean

NCD integration and mental health and psychosocial support in Syria: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

Syrian Arab Republic

11 Sep 2023

Years of conflict has severely affected the Syrian Arab Republic health system, which is being supported by nongovernmental organizations and UN agencies, including WHO. Emergencies, complicated by high numbers of displaced people, mask noncommunicable disease (NCD) issues and make them more difficult to treat. The aim of WHO and others is to address NCDs and other problems, while creating systems...

11 Sep 2023

World Health Organization. Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean

Djibouti adopts a national response plan to protect the most vulnerable: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

Djibouti

11 Sep 2023

Djibouti has been working to improve access to quality preventive and curative health care, including services for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), through its National Health Development Plan since 2018. However, the COVID-19 pandemic severely hampered service provision. As a result, the Government implemented the Pacte de Solidarité Nationale to meet immediate needs and enable the country to �...

11 Sep 2023

World Health Organization. Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean

Progress in addressing tobacco use and salt consumption in Kuwait: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

Kuwait

10 Sep 2023

Kuwait has made significant progress in addressing the root causes of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as tobacco use and salt consumption, while taking innovative actions to increase access to mental health services. Multisectoral collaboration has been key to the country’s success and is the blueprint for future progress as Kuwait works to reduce NCDs before 2030. Kuwait recognized the...

10 Sep 2023

World Health Organization. Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean

Accelerating progress on tobacco control and nutrition in Bahrain: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

Bahrain

10 Sep 2023

Nutrition and tobacco use are two major risk areas for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). This section highlights Bahrain’s commitment to identifying and reducing public health threats posed by unhealthy eating, lifestyle and tobacco use. The country has been a trailblazer in some areas of tobacco policy and has taken forward-thinking action during the pandemic to protect its citizens. In 2018,...

10 Sep 2023

10 Sep 2023

World Health Organization

Feminist, rights-based solutions to address NCDs: Strengthening the evidence base on sex differences and gender inequities.

Towards a global call-to-action to close the gender health gap At the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 67) in March 2023, global leaders, researchers, and advocates highlighted the disproportionate burden of NCD and associated risk factors and persistent gaps faced by women and girls in accessing NCD-related information, prevention, timely diagnosis, services, and supp...

10 Sep 2023

10 Sep 2023

World Health Organization. Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean

Effective digital interventions to address NCDs in Qatar: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

Surveillance systems, such as the Death Registry, are key to Qatar’s success in tackling noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). These systems not only drive evidence-based policy decisions, but also measure the success of those policies. This has allowed Qatar to make significant progress across a wide range of NCDs and their risk factors,even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telephone and online ment...

10 Sep 2023

10 Sep 2023

World Health Organization. Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean

Ensuring continuity of care for patients with NCDs in Yemen: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

Yemen was the centre of the world’s greatest humanitarian crisis for several years before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Conflict and infrastructure collapse has left only 50% of health facilities fully functional. Poor vaccination coverage, minimal sanitation and population displacement have left the country vulnerable to disease outbreaks such as cholera and diphtheria. Noncommunicable disease...

10 Sep 2023

10 Sep 2023

World Health Organization. Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean

Mitigating NCDs in Saudi Arabia: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

Transforming health care is an important aspect of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 strategy. Saudi Arabia is therefore taking decisive action to combat noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which are responsible for approximately 78% of all deaths in the country. Imposing taxes, adopting legislation and using new technology have all been essential tools for mitigating NCDs both be...

10 Sep 2023