COVID-19 significantly impacts health services for noncommunicable diseases: WHO

GENEVA: The World Health Organisation has found that the prevention and treatment service for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) has been greatly affected due to the pandemic. The survey, which studied 155 countries for 3 weeks in May, has confirmed that, although countries across the globe have been affected, healthcare systems of low-income countries has been the worst affected.

This has raised many concerns, as people living with NCDs are more prone to severe COVID-19-related illness and death.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organisation, has said that countries need to find innovative ways to ensure that essential health services are provided to those who are already suffering from cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, etc. even as they deal with the pandemic.

The survey found out that health services are either completely or partially disrupted in many countries. More than half (53 per cent) of the countries surveyed have partially or completely disrupted services for hypertension treatment; 49 per cent for treatment for diabetes and diabetes-related complications; 42 per cent for cancer treatment, and 31 per cent for cardiovascular emergencies. 

Rehabilitation services have been interrupted in almost two-third (63 per cent) of the countries, even though rehabilitation plays a key role in healthy recovery following COVID-19 illness.

The health staffs involved in the area of NCDs are now either partially or fully reassigned to COVID-19 in the majority (94 per cent) of countries.

Public screening programmes (for example for breast and cervical cancer) was reportedly postponed by more than 50 per cent of countries. This was consistent with initial WHO recommendations to minimize non-urgent facility-based care whilst tackling the pandemic.

Lack of health workers, decrease in public transports, cancellation of planned treatments, shortage of medicines, diagnostic and other technologies were among the most common reasons for reduction or disruption in services.

Globally, two-thirds of nations in their COVID-19 preparedness and response plans have reportedly included NCD services. In comparison to 42 per cent of low-income countries, 72 per cent of high-income countries reported inclusion. Services that handle the cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disorder, cancer and diabetes were the foremost frequently included. Allocation of additional fund from the government budget to include the NCD services in their national COVID-19 plan is reported by seventeen per cent of countries.

An encouraging finding from the survey is that most countries have come up with alternative strategies to support the people at highest risk facing service disruptions for NCDs, these include use of telemedicine(advice by telephone or online means) to replace in-person consultations by 58 per cent of high-income countries while in low-income countries this figure is 42 per cent. Triaging as a method is also being widely used to determine priorities, in two-thirds of countries reporting.

More than 70 per cent of countries reported the collection of data on the number of COVID-19 patients who also have an NCD that also encourages.

According to Dr Bente Mikkelsen, Director of the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases at WHO, it will take some time to know the impact of disruptions on people with NCDs during COVID-19. But,it is clear that people with severe NCDs are not only more prone to coronavirus but also many lack access to treatment to their illness.