The ISN Makes Recommendations in the Review of Updated Appendix 3 to the WHO Global NCD Action Plan
The ISN has officially submitted its list of comments on the recently published 2nd draft of the updated Appendix 3 to the “Global Action Plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) 2013–2030” to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Designed to support the implementation of the action plan’s six objectives, Appendix 3 outlines policy options and cost-effective interventions Member States should prioritize to prevent and control NCDs.
Following an initial consultation with non-state actors in 2016, this second round of input takes new evidence of cost-effectiveness and WHO recommendations into account and seeks to refine some interventions based on lessons learned from the use of previous versions.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is still not included among the NCDs explicitly targeted by the WHO Global Action Plan, even though it affects approximately . This presents an enormous burden for healthcare systems and negatively impacts health outcomes of other major NCDs, namely diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). To this end, the ISN reiterated its demands from the previous consultation, suggesting several kidney-disease-specific interventions and kidney disease risk assessments for CVD or hypertension patients.
While supporting the goals and implementation of the Global Action Plan, the ISN continues working alongside the WHO and other partners such as the NCD Alliance to make kidney health a priority on the global NCD agenda and to emphasize the clinical, economic and social burdens of kidney disease, at present frequently underestimated.
