Workshop Reviews National Policies On Non-Communicable Diseases

(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency)

Amman, Aug. 4 (Petra) - The Jordanian National Center for Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases Control (JCDC) organized a consensus workshop on Sunday to present a comprehensive report on the survey and review of policies, strategies, legislation, guidelines, and standard operating procedures related to non-communicable diseases.
According to a statement issued by the center, the workshop saw the participation of 60 experts and representatives from various organizations, including the Ministry of Health, the Royal Medical Services Directorate, the World Health Organization, national centers providing non-communicable disease services, national associations, Jordanian universities, United Nations organizations supporting refugees, and other relevant national entities.
Adel Balbisi, head of the center, stated that the workshop aimed to inform partners about the report's content, which was developed by the National Center staff in collaboration with partners in its initial phase. He emphasized that incorporating feedback and ideas at this stage would significantly enrich the report, ensuring it serves as a comprehensive reference document for all relevant parties within a true national partnership.
Balbisi elaborated on the center's clear and specific tasks, which include enhancing public health practices in preventing epidemics and communicable diseases and promoting healthy behaviors.
He highlighted that the center launched its first strategy for 2023-2025 last year, encompassing six comprehensive national surveys covering disease monitoring, monitoring systems, communicable disease prevention, laboratories, public health emergency preparedness and response, and non-communicable disease surveying.
He emphasized that the general goal of these surveys is to assess the current situation, evaluate the effectiveness of implemented policies and strategies, identify key challenges, and analyze gaps to enhance public health practices in Jordan through scientifically-based recommendations in coordination with relevant authorities.
Balbisi noted that non-communicable diseases account for over 74 percent of the global morbidity burden and are the leading cause of more than two-thirds of deaths in the region. Data from the World Health Organization indicate that over 1.7 million deaths occur annually in the Eastern Mediterranean Region due to the four main non-communicable diseases, with this number expected to rise to 2.4 million by 2025.
In Jordan, high rates of morbidity due to non-communicable diseases have been recorded, with the latest national survey in 2020 showing tobacco use at 42 percent for those aged 18 and above, 66 percent among men and 17 percent among women. Additionally, 22 percent of citizens in the same age group suffer from high blood pressure, 16 percent have diabetes according to the International Diabetes Federation, and the prevalence of overweight and obesity stands at 66 percent, with 30 percent overweight and 36 percent obese.
Riyadh Shayab, Director of the Primary Health Care Department at the Ministry of Health, stated that the Ministry prioritizes the "Prevention and Early Detection of Non-Communicable Diseases" as a key axis of primary health care, reflecting the technological, economic, and health advancements impacting various aspects of economic, social, and health life. This progress has been accompanied by significant improvements in living standards and communicable disease control.
Shayab noted that Jordan has reached an advanced level in treating non-communicable diseases, thanks to the high efficiency of Jordanian medical professionals and the availability of advanced medical technologies. However, he emphasized that preventing these diseases requires societal mobilization and participation in activities that address risk factors, beyond just medical methods.
He highlighted that decisions made outside the health sector significantly impact the prevalence of negative lifestyles contributing to non-communicable diseases.
Therefore, achieving health gains in this field requires influencing policies made by other sectors such as trade, agriculture, development, municipalities, tax policies, and nutrition, which exceed what can be achieved by changes in health policy alone.
Alaa Quraan from the Epidemiological Monitoring Directorate presented an overview of the survey's objectives and the scientific methodology used to collect policies, strategies, protocols, and instructions available in Jordan. She explained that 325 documents were collected based on scientific criteria and an information system developed at the center, with 105 documents selected to represent the current state of non-communicable diseases in the Kingdom.

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