Iraqi MoH: Iraq is facing a "double burden" of diseases

Shafaq News / The Ministry of Health revealed today, Monday, the struggles associated with the "double burden" of communicable and non-communicable diseases, which have transcended beyond the Ministry's scope.

The Ministry stated, "Under the auspices of Minister of Health Saleh Mahdi Al-Hasnawi, head of the Supreme Committee for the National Strategy for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, a comprehensive meeting was held today to discuss the progress in implementing the national strategy for controlling non-communicable diseases for the years (2018-2025)."

The meeting was attended by deputies and officials from the Ministry of Health, other ministries, committee members, the Director-General of Public Health, and the Director of the Department of Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases.

The Minister emphasized, "non-communicable diseases pose a significant problem to societies, negatively impacting health, economic, and social domains of every country." He highlighted periodic meetings held by the United Nations General Assembly, the most recent being in New York, to discuss contributions from countries like Iraq in controlling risk factors, prominently tobacco, incorporated within the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

He further added, "Iraq faces the dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, requiring collaborative efforts between the Ministry of Health, other ministries, unaffiliated agencies, and the private sector to achieve the objectives of the national strategy. These goals include reducing patient rates, improving recovery rates, decreasing premature deaths, and expediting implementation in line with necessary requirements, as approved by the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers under Resolution 494 of 2018."

The meeting also encompassed a presentation outlining Iraq's significant measures to implement the national strategy for non-communicable diseases in accordance with global updates and in collaboration with international bodies.