Excellencies, distinguished colleagues,
Thank you for this insightful discussion.
It has been truly inspiring to hear how Mexico has expanded effective coverage of NCD interventions, while Saudi Arabia has invested in strengthening primary health care and advancing digital health solutions.
As a national of Saudi Arabia, I have witnessed firsthand the Kingdom’s progress, including expanding screening for diseases like hypertension and diabetes, and the use of digital tools to support clinical decisions and patient follow-up.
These are regional best practices with global relevance. And there is so much more we can learn from one another.
For me, three priorities stand out clearly:
First, expanding access to essential services, medicines, and technologies through primary health care is fundamental to health equity and universal health coverage.
Second, improving care for NCDs requires genuine multisectoral engagement—health, finance, education, civil society, and communities all have a critical role to play.
And third, partnerships are the engine of progress.
We must also remember that NCDs are a pressing vulnerability in emergencies and fragile contexts. Strong primary health care systems are the backbone of resilience, ensuring continuity of care and access to essential medicines even when crises disrupt health systems. By embedding NCD management into PHC, we secure both sustainability and protection in times of crisis.
We already see this in action. The WHO HEARTS package—implemented by Jordan, Libya, Oman, Yemen, Morocco, and Pakistan—is improving the management of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension at the primary care level. This has reduced the burden on tertiary facilities and demonstrated the tangible impact of WHO tools when effectively applied.
Our collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is another example. Together with Regional Director Dr Jarbas Barbosa, we are drawing on PAHO’s Revolving Funds for Vaccines and Strategic Public Health Supplies to strengthen procurement systems, improve purchasing power, and expand access to essential health products across the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
These same principles underpin the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines—a partnership with WHO, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, UNICEF, and the PAHO Strategic Fund. By pooling procurement and securing affordable, sustainable supplies, we are giving children in low- and middle-income countries a fair chance at survival.
These examples remind us that revolutionizing care for NCDs is indeed possible. Solutions can be both high-tech and low-tech. And intra-regional as well as cross-regional cooperation can deliver impressive results.
At WHO/EMRO, we are committed to fostering self-sufficiency—solutions from the region, for the region. But we also know that by working together across organizations, across sectors, and across regions, we can expand access, improve care, and deliver meaningful change for the health and well-being of all.
