by Martin Haffner Associate Editor
The Western Pacific Region of the World Health Organisation (WHO) is getting healthier compared to other regions and was the least affected by Covid-19 deaths in the first two years, but the incidence of non-communicable diseases is rising due to increased smoking and drinking of alcohol.
This mix of good and bad news highlights the sobering reality that the WHO Western Pacific region is off-track to meet its health-related Sustainable Development Goals by the 2030 deadline, according to Dr Kidong Park, director of Data Strategy and Innovation and head of the team that prepared a new WHO report on health statistics in the region.
Speaking at a recent news briefing in Manila, Park conceded that, based on their monitoring, there had been a 25 percent drop in early deaths from NCDs from 2000 to 2021, but that speed only means that they cannot meet the 2030 deadline for the health-related SGDs.
The SDGs are global goals adopted by world leaders to end poverty and inequality, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy health, justice and prosperity by 2030.
The report shows that while the Covid-19 pandemic may have done less damage to life expectancy in the Western Pacific than other regions, it nevertheless exacerbated health inequalities and disrupted progress in other areas.
On top of this, the WHO team had mixed findings in the region’s journey toward establishing universal health coverage and determined that there was mixed progress in providing access to quality service among countries, Park said. That means some richer countries were found to have high-quality UHC, while others lacked even the most basic services.
What Park found most alarming is that many people are experiencing financial hardship due to high out-of-pocket service, which he said is becoming worse.
That means many in the region don’t have health insurance and pay for medical services and medicines out of their pockets.
Park said the Western Pacific region is one of the WHO regions experiencing the highest rate of this kind of financial hardship. “We need urgent action to address this,” he added.
Among the many risk factors causing the rise in NCD is the increased alcohol and tobacco consumption, Park said.
He said alcohol consumption in this region rose about 40 percent from 2000 and 2015. There has been a decrease since then, but there is still a long way to go. Tobacco consumption has also decreased but is still higher than the global average, “so we need to do more to reduce alcohol consumption, and we need to do more to quit tobacco consumption.”
Another finding of the 140-page Health statistics in the Western Pacific region 2023: Monitoring health for the SDGs, disclosed that life expectancy in the Western Pacific fell by only 0.07 years in 2020-21, a minimal drop compared to the global average decline of 1.7 years. Despite this, the Western Pacific now has the highest life expectancy among WHO’s six regions, rising from 72 years in 2000 to 77.4 years in 2021.
The Western Pacific region covers 37 countries and areas across Asia and the Pacific.
The report states that the Western Pacific region is undergoing a significant epidemiological shift—most illnesses and deaths used to be from infectious diseases and injuries. Now what kills many in the region are NCDs.
NCDs like heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer now account for nearly nine in 10 deaths.
While the probability of premature death from NCDs has declined in the region by over 25 percent since 2000, major challenges remain.
Moreover, the region is experiencing rapid population aging. There are now more than 245 million people aged 65 and older in the region. The number is projected to double by 2050. Many older people are living with NCDs.
Despite a decline in alcohol consumption from 7.2 litres per capita per year in 2015 to 6.1 litres in 2019, the overall increase highlights an ongoing concern.
Similarly, although tobacco use declined from 28 percent of adults smoking in 2000 to 22.5 percent in 2022, this was still above the global average of 20.9 percent.
Mental health issues are also taking their toll on the population, with alarmingly high suicide rates in some countries of the Western Pacific region.
Health concerns related to climate and the environment are yet another major challenge. While air pollution in urban areas of the region was found to have decreased from 2010 to 2019, air quality levels are still much worse than the WHO-recommended levels. Populations in urban areas continue to breathe unhealthy air.
The new report will guide ministers of health and other senior officials who are attending the 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific in Manila.
The meeting, which started 21 Oct and will continue through 25 Oct, will focus on the most pressing health needs in the Region and chart a course to address them.
The proposed new vision for the region is called “Weaving health for families, communities and societies in the Western Pacific Region (2025-2029): Working together to improve health, well-being and save lives.
