Medical experts are pushing the government to invest in behavioral change and preventative care campaigns to stem the rising cases of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, high blood pressure, respiratory diseases and diabetes, among Kenyans of all ages. 

According to the Ministry of Health, one in four deaths are caused by NCDs, otherwise known as lifestyle diseases.  They are increasingly affecting the younger population, which poses a threat to Kenya’s economic growth. In addition, NCDs accounted for over 55 percent of hospital deaths nationwide, and more than half of all hospital admissions. 

Majority of the NCDs are caused by behavioral risk factors - tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, lack of physical activity and unhealthy diets due to aggressive marketing and promotion especially to the younger generation. 

During a public lecture at the Aga Khan University, Prof Gerald Yonga, Chair, Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance, East Africa said that NCDs have become a major public health concern in the country with far reaching social and economic implications in terms of lost productivity and premature deaths.

“Being diagnosed with an NCD often means years of poor health and to combat this menace, both government and healthcare professionals need to enhance health promotion campaigns towards reducing smoking and alcohol use, increase consumption of healthy diets, encourage physical activity and the overall reduction of environmental pollution,” he said.

Prof Yonga also recommends that effective public health policies such as community-based routine screening, training of community health volunteers on prevention and management of NCDs are required to address the raising prevalence of NCDs, since preventive measures are more cost effective than curative measures.

“Majority of the NCDs are associated with multiple negative effects in low-income countries which results in decreased economic productivity and drained family resources, becoming a major threat to our economic and social development,” added Prof Yonga.

The government public expenditure on health is below 10 per cent, which is way below the recommended 15 per cent as per the 2001 Abuja Declaration, an agreement by African Heads of State designed to improve the social and economic conditions in the world's poorest countries.

“Development of a health financing strategy should be one of the highest priorities to combat NCDs in the country and healthcare professionals need to come together and actively engage the government and decision makers to ensure an increase to the health budget allocation in line with the 2001 Abuja Declaration,” said Prof Yonga.

The public lecture was organized by the Aga Khan University Medical College and School of Nursing and Midwifery, East Africa as part of the 60th anniversary of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUHN). The public lecture series will run from October 2019 to February 2020.