Investing in Health and the Economy: Curbing the Crisis of Non-Communicable Diseases

Task Force – 6: Accelerating SDGs: Exploring New Pathways to the 2030 Agenda 1. The Challenge The lack of prioritisation and investment in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is allowing a silent crisis to undermine health and well-being, exacerbate inequities and poverty, and impede economic growth and development. Cost of underinvestment in NCDs is substantial Every two seconds a person dies prematurely from an NCD. [3] NCDs are estimated to be responsible for nearly three-fourths of all deaths globally, killing 41 million people every year. In contrast, COVID-19 is thought to have caused 6.9 million deaths since the start of the pandemic. [4] NCDs account for approximately 70 percent of all deaths per year in most G20 countries. [5] About 40 percent of NCD deaths are premature (i.e., they occur before the age of 70) and the impact of losing individuals in their prime productive years reverberates across their families, societies, and economies. [6] The burden of NCDs, which include cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic respiratory diseases (CRD), diabetes, and mental illnesses goes beyond death, causing significant morbidity and disability as well. One-fifth of the world’s population is living with an NCD, [7] and up to 94 percent of people who died from COVID-19 were living with NCDs. [8] NCDs are considered among the greatest threats to the resiliency and sustainability of healthcare systems. [9] The burden of NCDs extends beyond mortality, morbidity, and healthcare, also undermining economic growth and development. Treatment for and outcomes from the top five most common NCDs are estimated to cost over US$2 trillion annually, greater than the median of individual G20 country GDPs (see Figure 1). [10] NCDs impede achievement of universal health coverage (UHC) by exacerbating inequities and driving catastrophic health expenditure. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) more than 60 percent of patients with cancer, cardiovascular disease, and stroke experience catastrophic health expenditure, [11] and out of pocket (OOP) spending per visit is estimated to be twice as high for NCDs than for communicable diseases. [12] Figure 1: Comparison of Total World Economic Loss Due to NCDs Per Year to and Nominal GDPs of G20 Countries (2021) Source: World Bank Data