APEC takes action to reduce chronic diseases in the Asia-Pacific

Chronic disease is one of the top threats to global economic security, said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius when she joined Ministers and other high level APEC officials as well as leading academics and health industry CEOs.

Secretary Sebelius described the daunting challenges facing the Asia Pacific region and the rest of the world when she addressed the APEC Health Systems Innovation Dialogue last week in San Francisco, California.

“In the United States, chronic diseases account for 7 out of 10 deaths,” said Secretary Sebelius. “But this is not just an American problem.”

“In 2008, there were 16.5 million deaths from chronic disease in the Asia Pacific region. By 2030, global death from chronic disease is projected to rise to 52 million people,” she added.

“Chronic disease lowers productivity and raises absenteeism,” when she explained the significant economic costs.

Alongside the considerable challenges of infectious and re-emerging diseases, total global deaths from chronic diseases alone are projected to rise to 52 million by 2030. It was also predicted that Alzheimer’s and depression will become significant elements of the overall chronic disease profile.

Experts at the APEC Health Systems Innovation Dialogue attributed this to the ageing demographics and lifestyle choices in the United States and Asia-Pacific economies.

Officials acknowledged that innovation, multi-sectoral collaboration, and public-private sector partnerships are important for implementing a new action plan to reduce the burden of chronic diseases.

Recognizing this regional threat, APEC health ministers agreed to develop an APEC Action Plan to Reduce the Economic Burden of Non-Communicable Disease and Secretary Sebelius emphasized the private sector’s role.

“Business, in particular, has an interest in joining this fight,” Sebelius continued. “If you don’t feel the impact of chronic disease in rising health care costs, then you’ll feel it in lower productivity from your employees or a rising number of sick days.”

The Action Plan requires Asia-Pacific economies to: (1) adopt approaches to policy development that involve all government agencies and health stakeholders; (2) establish public-private partnerships focused on leveraging innovations to strengthen health systems to meet the chronic disease challenge; and (3) share best practices and track outcomes on chronic disease prevention, detection, and control activities.

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For more information, contact: Augustine Kwan +65 6891 9674 at [email protected] or Michael Chapnick +65 6891 9670 at [email protected].

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