Organizing young people against chronic diseases; experiences from the front lines in East Africa
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are currently the leading cause of death globally. Unlike infectious diseases, NCDs are not transmissible from one person to another and include such conditions as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. These diseases kill 40 million people equivalent to 70% of all deaths annually. Yet they share modifiable risk factors such as unhealthy diet, harmful use of alcohol, tobacco use and physical inactivity. Though previously thought to be diseases of the affluent, NCDs are currently affecting all countries with devastating human, social and economic consequences, and disproportionately affecting poor and vulnerable populations. Yet, health systems in developing countries have been designed to address infectious diseases.
In 2011, Heads of State and Government made a Political Declaration on NCDs with various commitments that are currently being implemented through the WHO Global NCD Action Plan 2013–2020. Member states have also agreed on a set of time-bound voluntary targets to be attained by 2025 and recognised that NCDs pause are a major threat to sustainable development in this century. However, implementation of these commitments is rather slow, making the attainment of global NCD targets difficult. Part of the reason is that governments have not adequately supported the operationalisation of the commitments and implementation of proven effective interventions.
Through my involvement in the Young Professionals Chronic Disease Network (YP-CDN), I have increasingly appreciated that young people are a major source of valuable solutions to the NCD epidemic and can leverage the power of their numbers to hold governments accountable. My optimism towards the future of global health has been boosted after being on the frontlines with fellow young people advocating for increased attention to NCDs across the East African region. YP-CDN is building capacity and leadership by recruiting, training and supporting aspiring next generation advocates and policy makers across the region. The network currently has presence in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi in East Africa.
I have experienced first-hand how powerful young people’s voices can be in influencing public policy and holding politicians to account. In October 2016, our Ugandan chapter of YP-CDN launched an online campaign to demand government to prioritise the construction of a bunker to accommodate a new cobalt chemotherapy machine. Thousands of cancer patients attending the Uganda Cancer Institute were left stranded and unable to access potentially life-saving treatment after the only radiotherapy machine in the country broke down beyond repair. Our campaign was prompted by government’s failure to deliver on its promise of finalizing the construction of a new bunker within six months from April 2016. Our campaign was successful in forcing government to make further commitment in speeding up the construction of the bunker. Currently, the bunker is ready to house a new machine and shipment of the Cobalt-60 radiation machine is underway according to government sources. This is only one of the many advocacy campaigns that we have done in Uganda and other East African countries where YP-CDN has presence.
Through influencing policy and holding leaders accountable as well as mobilizing fellow young people to fight NCDs and their risk factors, one thing is clear for sure that young people can be champions of change in combating an eminent NCD epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa.
We are hitting two birds with a single stone; first by bringing our leaders closer to the NCD reality but also utilizing the critical opportunity in young people’s lives to turn the tides against NCD risk factor exposure. This has been evident in all our work because not only do YP-CDN members get equipped with advocacy and leadership skills from our annual workshops and trainings, but also greatly benefit in acquiring adequate knowledge on NCDs and their risk factors. This knowledge is much needed and relevant in helping youths resist the aggressiveness of the industry such as tobacco and beverage in persuading them to become their ‘customers’ and falling to the precursors of NCD risks. As much as unhealthy behaviors are difficult to change when they persist into adulthood, positive behaviors such as regular physical activeness and healthy eating once established during the early years of life are easy to maintain into adulthood.
Organizations like YP-CDN need to urgently be supported to scale up their efforts in engaging young people on NCDs and their risk factors if we are to witness changes and achieve progress within a generation. Additionally, our leaders need to embrace affordable, feasible, cost effective and impactful priority interventions that have been identified by the World Health Organization.
Marvin Lubega is a 2016/17 Global Health Corps fellow placed at the Ministry of Health in Uganda.
