Assessment of National Capacity for Noncommunicable Disease Prevention and Control: The Report of a Global Survey

Overview

The rapid rise of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) represents one of the major challenges to global development in the 21st century. To respond to the NCD challenge, a global strategy for the prevention and control of NCDs was developed in 1999 and endorsed by the World Health Assembly in May 2000 (WHA resolution 53.18). As part of the implementation of the strategy, an assessment of national capacity for NCD prevention and control was carried out by WHO in 2001. The survey had four objectives: to assess the current situation in relation to existing capacity for NCD prevention and control in Member States; to identify constraints and needs; to set priorities for technical support to Member States; and to assist planning, implementation and evaluation of NCD prevention and control programmes. The report of the survey provides a general assessment of the current capacity of Member States in NCD prevention and control with respect to health policy, programmes and infrastructure.