What is the problem?
The burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), such as cardio-vascular diseases and diabetes, is increasing in low- and middle-income countries. In South-East Asian countries, and specifically in Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam more than half of all deaths are caused by NCDs.
Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam have the ambition to achieve universal health coverage, and scale up NCD prevention and control. These countries have national or large-scale evidence-based programmes to prevent and control diabetes and hypertension, to detect people at risk, and to treat patients. The countries apply different strategies in financing NCD prevention and control (health insurance and/or public funding). The project Scaling Up NCD interventions in South-East Asia (SUNI-SEA) strengthens the implementation of policies and practices concerning community-based NCD prevention and control.
Why is it relevant for society?
In order to reduce the burden of NCDs, the following must be achieved:
• More people in the community need to be aware of risk factors for NCDs, such as being overweight, having hypertension or smoking.
• More people need to participate in screening to get a proper diagnosis of a disease at an early stage, and to get advice on lifestyle reducing risks of NCDs.
• More people, diagnosed with an NCD, need proper treatment for and management of the diseases, through referral to a health facility after community screening.
What did we do?
The SUNI-SEA project created awareness of NCD risk factors and helped people in avoiding risk factors for overweight, getting hypertension or diabetes. The project helped people in applying a healthy lifestyle through health education and peer support.
The project offered screening for NCDs and risk factors to people living in Indonesia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Persons with risk factors were identified as early as possible. The project provided them with personalised advice when needed
People with identified NCDs were referred to primary healthcare facilities to get proper treatment, both medicines and lifestyle support, to minimise complications that affect their wellbeing. People were referred back by PHC facilities to community groups for peer-supported lifestyle interventions to improve their health.
The project worked with local authorities and community organisations to scale up existing programmes in the three countries (Posbindu in Indonesia, Intergenerational Self Help Clubs in Myanmar and Vietnam). In the SUNI-SEA project we investigated the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the interventions, that were scaled up in the three countries. We identified barriers and facilitators for better screening and health promotion in communities. We explored possibilities for improved treatment at primary health-care level.We analysed the costs and benefits of the interventions.
