After its outbreak in China, the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) spread across the globe with more than 150 million confirmed cases and more than 3 million deaths as of this May 2021. Many lessons can be learned from what has been experienced over the past months. One of which is that the Covid-19 significantly impacts health services for non-communicable diseases.
A lot of people who need the proper treatment for diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes have not been able to receive the health services and medicines they need since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Non-communicable diseases caused death to 41 million people each year before the pandemic, which is then equivalent to a high rate of 71% deaths globally.
Each year, 15 million people die from Non-communicable diseases between the ages of 30 and 69 years. More than 85% of these deaths occur in low-income countries like the Philippines. This situation is of great concern since people living with NCDs are at higher risk of severe COVID-19-related illness and death.
According to the WHO survey, the main discovery is that health services have been partially or completely disrupted in many countries not only in the Philippines. More than half 53% of the countries have completely disrupted any services for hypertension treatment; 49% for treatment for any diabetes-related complications; 42% for cancer treatments or therapies, and 31% for cardiovascular-related emergencies. Rehabilitation services have been disrupted in almost two-thirds of 63% of countries, even though rehabilitation is the primary key to a healthy recovery following the severity of illnesses from COVID-19.
The most common reason for the countries discontinuing or reducing services were cancellations of planned treatments because of the threat of COVID, a decrease in public transport available, and a lack of staff since most health workers had been reassigned to support the COVID19 services.
Strategies to cater Non Communicable diseases are now being implemented
More than 70% of the countries reported that collecting data on the number of COVID-19 patients who also have an NCD. This is because people with NCDs are more vulnerable to becoming seriously ill with the coronavirus, but many are unable to access the treatment they need to manage their illnesses. Strategies have now been established in most countries to support the people at the highest risk in order to continue receiving treatment for NCDs.
Some countries are now using telemedicine as a method to advise by telephone or online in order to replace in-person consultations. Triaging to determine priorities has also been widely used including in the Philippines.
It is very important not only that we care for people living with NCDs, but we must also be ready to build back better strengthening health services for them so that they are better equipped to prevent, diagnose and provide care for NCDs in the future, for any circumstances ahead. Countries need to tackle the impacts of NCDs in their national COVID-19 response and preparedness plans to develop strengthened health systems with integrated NCD care for future health emergencies.