Non-Communicable Diseases Threat: Healthcare Sector Put On The Alert

Communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutrition-related diseases may have been serious healthcare sector challenges, but something more threatening is coming.

This warning was issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Professor Mohamed Janabi, in Abuja today.

Speaking during the 10th anniversary of the West African Institute of Public Health (WAIPH) and its 2025 conference, he identified the new real threat as Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), classing them as among Africa’s greatest development threats.

Deaths through the NCDs he submitted are rising steadily, increasing the burden of healthcare sector operators.

The theme of the conference was “Digital Innovation and Shared Leadership for Africa’s NCDs Response”, while Professor Janabi’s keynote address was titled “The Silent Epidemic: How NCDs are Threatening Africa’s Development”.

According to him, NCDs were advancing rapidly, are projected to overtake communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutrition-related diseases by 2030.

“This is a silent epidemic affecting individuals, families, economies, and health systems across Africa, yet the story of NCDs often remains hidden in clinic records, household finances, and preventable premature deaths,” he stated.

According to him NCDs accounted for 35.4 per cent of all deaths in Africa in 2021, up from 21 per cent in 2000, with cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, respiratory diseases, and mental conditions.

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He lamented the huge loss to the diseases, adding: “Every one dollar invested in NCD prevention yields seven dollars in benefits through reduced medical costs and increased productivity, yet productivity loss from NCDs is 38 times higher than current spendin”.

He said the healthcare sector in Africa had remained vulnerable due to low spending below 30 billion dollars annually on NCDs more than half of this sourced locally.

Some of the suggestions he made for improved healthcare sector delivery include:

-stronger primary healthcare,

-domestic financing,

-surveillance systems,

-access to essential medicines,

-integrated, people-centred care to reduce mortality and

-improve NCD outcomes across Africa

On cervical cancer, he said efforts to eliminate the ailment was intensifying, with 32 countries  introducing HPV vaccination to prevent related morbidity and mortality.