Changing lifestyle is the major weapon that could help end diabetes and other Non-Communicable Diseases and this should be at the centre at the forthcoming conference discussions on such diseases, health experts have said. Dieudonne Kwizera Munana, a health professional and researcher, said that the research he carried out indicates that diabetes is at a high rate in Southern province. “We carried out research in Muhanga, Ruhango and Kamonyi districts and realized that diabetes prevalence is at 6 percent which is higher compared to national level. Among the respondents 27 percent had diabetes,” he said. Nationwide prevalence of diabetes mellitus in Rwanda is estimated at between 3.0 and 3.5 per cent. “The main causing factor in the three districts we discovered is the issue of lifestyle. Therefore the issue should be at the centre of dialogues in the forthcoming conference,” he said. He explained that what is alarming is that most of the people do not know that they have diabetes. “They happen to know their status when they go for consultation yet many do not do so,” he noted. Experts say changing behaviours and increasing early detection, focus on the prevention and control of NCD risk factors, like unhealthy diets, the harmful use of alcohol, and tobacco smoking are among the recommended behaviors. From 25-26th November 25 to November 26 2021, Rwanda NCD Alliance in collaboration with the Ministry of Health/Rwanda Biomedical Center under the support of the NCD Alliance Global will host the first-ever National NCD Conference to discuss the prevailing issues affecting the elimination of non-communicable diseases according to organizers. Themed “Multi-sectoral Collaboration for NCDs and Universal Health Coverage”, has been inspired by the findings from the National NCDs situation analysis conducted by Rwanda NCD Alliance in collaboration with RBC. The analysis witnessed the level of involvement of stakeholders in the Non-Communicable Diseases response and the United Nations (UN) in its global plan for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 emphasizing on the countrys efforts to prevent and treat NCDs for the reduction of premature mortality by one-third by 2030. It is also being undertaken to facilitate and promote further understanding of each sectoral participation on NCDs and Universal Health Coverage However, experts say facilitating the advocacy efforts is making sure that no one is left behind as far as the NCDs response is concerned. The conference which will bring together Policy and law makers, policy implementers, health professionals, researchers, academicians, civil society, private sectors, international organizations , people living with NCDs among others will contribute to increasing commitments and call to action for NCDs, harnessing meaningful involvement of people living with NCDs in addressing their health challenges, and louder their voices. The main topics include the burden of NCDs, effective cross-sector interventions of Universal Health Coverage for NCDs, channeling the voice of people living with NCDs, convergence of NCDs and communicable diseases, WHO Best Buys, global megatrends and NCDs, and alternative financing for NCD program. The WHOs “best buys” and other recommended interventions are a menu of policy options and cost-effective interventions for the prevention and control of major noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Financing cost According to organizers, the conference will also be a great step towards the implementation of the National Strategy and Costed Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Rwanda, 2020-2025. The overarching goal of this plan is to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by 25 percent, by 2025. The plan shows that there is a need for a total budget of Rwf358.1 billion in the five years to implement the interventions. Risk factors for NCDs in Rwanda WHO estimates show that NCDs accounted for 44 percent of total annual mortality in Rwanda. A countrywide population-based survey showed Hypertension prevalence at 15.9 percent among the risk factors. Studies show there is a Hypertension prevalence of 36 percent in adults aged 27 to 67 years. Using the statistic of an average 15.9 per cent prevalence of Hypertension, it is estimated that 1,188,142 people between the age of 15 and 64 are living with Hypertension in Rwanda. Rwanda Integrated Health Management Information System data from 2019 shows that around 63,692 persons with Hypertension enrolled in care. Most patients with Hypertension in Rwanda are not diagnosed and therefore not receiving treatment. The aim, according to the five-year plan, is to increase the coverage rate of around 5.4 per cent to 20 per cent by the year 2025. As a risk factor, In Rwanda, the overall prevalence of alcohol drinkers is estimated at 41.2 percent. Alcohol consumption is highest in semi-urban areas (44.7 per cent), followed by rural residences (43.1 percent) and urban residences (29 per cent). Unhealthy diet is another risk factor as overall fruit and vegetable consumption in Rwanda is very low. The study shows that 99.6 per cent of the population consume less than five servings of fruit per day and 99.3 per cent consume less than five servings of vegetables per day. In Rwanda, adult tobacco smoking prevalence stands at 12.8 per cent with variations in age and sex. Male smokers accounted for 19.1 percent, while females accounted for 7.1 percent. Insufficient physical activity In Rwanda, 61.5 per cent of the population have high levels of physical activity; 25.2 percent moderate levels and 13.3 per cent have low levels of physical activity. Overweight and obesity are among the risk factors. The ministry of health shows that 2.8 per cent of Rwanda’s population are obese, 14.3 per cent are overweight and 7.8 per cent are underweight. Obesity is most prevalent in the age group 35-54 and among females (4.7 per cent). Furthermore, the prevalence of obesity is more predominant in urban areas (10.2 percent), and Kigali specifically (7.7 per cent). Northern Province has the lowest prevalence of obesity (1.8 percent). In terms of economic impact, it shows that, 10 per cent rise in NCDs is associated with 0.5 per cent lower rates of annual economic growth. Less than 1.7 per cent of the Rwf186 billion Rwandan Francs spent on disease prevention and control programmes was spent on NCD control and prevention, according to Health Resources Tracking Tool (HRTT) 2020.
