Non-communicable diseases on the rise, says WHO

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Western Pacific Region, including the Philippines, are on the rise, according to a recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO).

NCDs like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer now account for nearly nine in 10 deaths in the region.

Filipinos have a 24.5 percent likelihood of dying from NCDs by the time they reach 30 and 70 years old, which is higher than the regional average of 15.6 percent.

From 651 deaths due to NCDs per 100,000 Filipinos in 2000, the figure rose by almost 10 percent to 714 deaths per 100,000 by 2021.

“The increase in the mortality burden due to NCDs in the Philippines was substantial,” the WHO noted.

The region is also experiencing rapid population aging, with more than 245 million people aged 65 and older — a number projected to double by 2050.

Many older people, the WHO noted, are living with NCDs. The WHO identified major risk factors for NCDs as alcohol and tobacco use.

Consumption of alcohol in the region has risen by a staggering 40 percent since 2000, highlighting an ongoing concern for public health.

Meanwhile, although tobacco use declined from 28 percent of adults smoking in 2000 to 22.5 percent in 2022, this rate still exceeds the global average of 20.9 percent, according to the WHO.

Access to essential health services for NCDs has not improved significantly, increasing only slightly from 52 points in 2000 to 58 points in 2010, the WHO further noted.

In the Western Pacific Region, average health spending has increased substantially, tripling from around $383, or about P22,000 per person in 2000, to $1,336, or about P77,000 in 2021.

On average, health spending accounted for 6.6 percent of gross domestic product at the country level in 2000 and rose to 8.2 percent by 2021.

However, the WHO noted that despite efforts to increase public spending on health, the proportion of people in the region experiencing catastrophic health expenditures — defined as spending over 10 percent of their income on healthcare — has doubled, rising from 9.9 percent in 2000 to 19.8 percent in 2019.