The Uganda Non Communicable Disease Alliance (UNCDA) a local NGO and umbrella body for organizations that advocate for non communicable diseases is urging government to expeditiously have in place a policy on non communicable diseases to help facilitate smooth handling of these killer diseases and also give a better life to Ugandans who are always attacked by the non communicable diseases.
Addressing a stakeholders meeting today in Kampala, the chairperson, board of directors, UNCDA, Mwambu Tom reveals that the absence of this policy has left non communicable diseases in the shadow of other diseases and are given less attention by government and the general public yet they impact on the economy as many potential citizens are suffering and many have lost their lives.
According to the 2014 NCD risk survey, statistics indicate that one in four adults (25%) were found to have high blood pressure which is the leading cause of heart attack and strokes with 80% of these cases did not know their health status. WHO projects that soon NCDs will be the great contributors to death in developing countries, Uganda in particular, from the current 25% to 42% an equivalent of 28 million deaths per year and now NCDs are responsible for 27% of death in Uganda every year.