The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for affordable, evidence-based, and highly cost-effective interventions to curb Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs), promote mental health, and save millions of lives.
NCDs are responsible for the majority of global deaths, while over one billion people live with mental health conditions. Nearly 75 per cent of deaths linked to NCDs and mental health occur in low- and middle-income countries, accounting for about 32 million lives lost annually.
Director-General of WHO, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, described NCDs and mental health conditions as “silent killers,” draining societies of lives and innovation.
“The global community has the tools to save lives and reduce suffering. Countries like Denmark, South Korea, and Moldova are making strong progress, but others are stalling. Investing in the fight against NCDs is not just smart economics, it is an urgent necessity for thriving societies,” he said.
NCDs include cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes. Mental health conditions, particularly anxiety and depression, are also widespread across all regions and income levels. WHO warned that without urgent and sustained action, millions more lives will be lost prematurely.
The agency also criticised lobbying by industries that profit from harmful products, such as tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed foods, noting that they often attempt to block or weaken life-saving policies.
“It is unacceptable that commercial interests profit while deaths and diseases increase,” said Director of WHO’s Department of Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention, Dr Etienne Krug. He urged governments to “put people before profits” and ensure health policies are not derailed by corporate pressure.
Krug stressed that full implementation of the WHO’s recommended “Best Buys”, a package of cost-effective interventions such as tobacco and alcohol taxation, child protection from harmful marketing, hypertension management, and expanded cervical cancer screening, would cost countries only about $3 per person yearly.
The potential return on investment, WHO said, is significant: by 2030, full implementation could save 12 million lives, prevent 28 million heart attacks and strokes, add 150 million healthy life years, and generate over $1 trillion in economic benefits.
WHO identified the upcoming Fourth UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting (HLM4) on NCDs and mental health as the most critical political moment of the decade. With a bold political declaration, the organisation believes governments can recommit to 2030 targets and chart a course for long-term health improvements.
“We know what works. The time to act is now. Governments that act decisively will save lives, cut costs, and unlock growth. Those that delay will pay in lost lives and weaker economies,” said WHO’s Director for NCDs and Mental Health, Dr. Devora Kestel, Dr Devora Kestel.
The UN health body also urged governments to fund and implement the WHO’s Best Buys tailored to national needs, tax tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks, strengthen primary health care for prevention, early detection, and treatment, and protect children from harmful marketing.
It also wants governments to expand access to essential medicines and technologies, and secure financing through domestic budgets, health taxes, and targeted aid. It further called on governments to set bold targets, track progress with strong accountability, and prevent industry interference in health policy.
MEANWHILE, WHO released its new report, Saving Lives, Spending Less, which tracks country-level progress in reducing NCD mortality between 2010 and 2019. The report revealed that while 82 per cent of countries reduced premature NCD deaths during this period, overall progress has slowed, with 60 per cent experiencing slower reductions than the previous decade.
Denmark recorded the greatest improvements for both sexes. Mortality also declined in countries including Nigeria, China, Egypt, Russia, and Brazil, largely due to reductions in cardiovascular disease and certain cancers such as stomach, colorectal, cervical, and breast cancers.
However, rising mortality from pancreatic and liver cancers, as well as neurological conditions, offset some of these gains.
According to the WHO, an additional investment of just $3 per person annually in NCD prevention and mental health could generate up to $1 trillion in economic benefits by 2030.
