27 Feb 2022

Lifestyle challenges and standards of living are altering the disease landscape in Southern Africa and other regions.

Speaking during the commemoration of the SADC healthy lifestyles day in Gaborone on Friday, SADC executive secretary, Mr Elias Magosi acknowledged that said incidents of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart and respiratory diseases, diabetes and cancers could potentially increase with improved economic wellbeing resulting in unwanted consequence of an unhealthy, aging population.

Mr Magosi stated that according to the World Health Organisation, in African nations, non-communicable diseases were rising rapidly and projected to exceed communicable, maternal, peri-natal, and nutritional diseases as the most common causes of death by 2030.

Likewise, Mr Magosi said in line with WHO findings, the 2014 population survey conducted in Botswana and aimed at establishing the burden of risk factors in the population showed that Batswana were heavily engaged in lifestyle risky behaviour that predisposed them to NCDs, being tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, physical inactivity and unhealthy diets.

Mr Magosi stated that in response to the fast rise in NCDs, SADC addressed non-communicable disease monitoring and related risks in the Protocol on Health, which  encouraged SADC member states to adopt appropriate strategies for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases.

SADC is committed to the health of its citizens, that is why it emphasises attainment of an acceptable standard of health for all and the need to reach specific targets within the objective of achieving health for all, he said, adding that the SADC Secretariat was also working on regional guidance and plan on the prevention and management of obesity, which were a growing concern in the region and closely associated with most of the non-communicable diseases.

Mr Magosi said the secretariat, in collaboration with partners, had been supporting member states in the development of tools including the food based dietary guidelines intended to promote adoption of healthy eating habits and to date, 10 member states had the guidelines in place.

SADC will continue to support the rest to develop such.

“I wish to assure the region that the SADC Secretariat will continue working with member states to fulfill the mandate in Article 13 of the Protocol on Health, to facilitate adoption of appropriate strategies for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases,” he said.

The day, celebrated under the theme: Risk Factors of Today are the Diseases of Tomorrow, #beat NCDs, Mr Magosi said urged all to focus on reducing the risk factors associated with NCDs.

He, therefore, said it was critical to continuously raise awareness of communities on NCDs, adding that together, all could beat NCDs if everyone remodelled their investment to focus on the response that included a comprehensive approach.

He noted that SADC countries experienced many health challenges including HIV pandemic, therefore, Botswana as one of the SADC countries and being recognised globally as having responded very well to HIV, could leverage on the experience to effectively respond to the NCDs.

Mr Magosi said the SADC Healthy Lifestyles Day commemoration was to help raise awareness about leading healthy lives, with particular emphasis on prevention and management of NCDs by addressing their associated risk factors, namely tobacco use, alcohol abuse, physical inactivity and unhealthy eating habits.

He said the commemoration also presented an opportunity for all to demonstrate the need to put equal emphasis on the indispensability of good health to high levels of productivity, critical to spurring sustainable economic growth necessary for realising Botswana’s Vision 2036 aspirations, and the SADC Regional Integration and Development agenda, as outlined in the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020- 2030. Ends