Harare tackles non communicable diseases

ZTN reporter

THE City of Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital has partnered with a US philanthropic organisation Bloomberg and the World Health Organisation to tackle the problem of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), which are a growing challenge.

The Mayor of Harare councillor Herbert Gomba said the project will receive
US$100, 000 to fight non-infectious diseases such as diabetes, cancer and
heart ailments.

“We are now part of the global family of cities committed to saving lives
by preventing Non-Communicable Diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart diseases among a host of others. I am glad to announce that my council has become part of bold leaders geared to improve public health and help contain the scourge of NCDs,” Gomba told a news conference in Harare on Monday.  

He said the city will carry out a population based survey on the prevalence of NCDs between January and December 2020 to help get statistics with a view to coming up with appropriate interventions.

NCDs are regarded as a health problem in rich and economically developed
countries but recently the diseases have been affecting low and middle income countries, with more than three quarters of global deaths due to NCDs recorded reaching about 32 million each year.