Isiolo County Government in collaboration with Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance of Kenya (NCDAK) and other stakeholders held a meeting with its Technical Working Group to create awareness on the national strategic plan 2021/22-2025/26 developed in July 2021 for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The new strategy emphasizes population-wide prevention and control measures, as well as strengthening health systems for the whole continuum of care for NCDs.
The diseases which include diabetes, cancer, chronic lung diseases, cardiovascular diseases and mental health conditions have in the recent past caused rise in mortality rate within the county and country at large hence the need to create awareness.
The County Executive for Health Wario Galma noted that there is need to sensitize communities living in the region and ensure the county joins hands with the national government to be able to prevent NCDs whose mortality rate stands at 39% nationally, while Isiolo stands at 31%.
He also pointed out the need to strengthen private sector partnership and engagement by sensitizing private sector players on NCD policies, legislation and responsible business practices.
Developing an engagement framework with the private sector in line with the PPP Act will help harness their resources, minimize conflict of interest, establish reporting mechanisms and moreover hold regular consultative meetings with the associations.
In recognition on the need to bring stakeholders together in a coordinated manner, the Ministry of Health launched the Non-Communicable Diseases Inter-Sectoral Coordination Committee (NCDICC) in 2018 comprising of both state and non-state actors, including the Ministry of Health, other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Council of Governors, Development Partners, NGOs, Civil Society, academia and research institutions and persons living with NCDs.
Members of the public have been asked to change their lifestyles which have led to an increase in population numbers of those affected by NCDs within the country.
By Parklea Ivor
