Bridging the Gap

In February 2020, I attended the Global Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance Forum in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The theme of the forum was to bridge the gaps in NCDs. It was attended by almost 400 delegates from 85 countries all over the world.

One of my greatest take away from the forum was about the power of lived experiences in bridging the gap for NCDs. “IM patient for change”. I learned that we people living with NCDs, until we speak, no one will speak for us, or speak the way we want to. This is to mean that we have to make our voices heard because nobody will do it or even if someone does, it will not be exactly the same as if we expressed ourselves.

I also learned that the day people with NCDs will stop talking, is when we will die. This is to mean that we have to share our stories and they will bring a change. I also learned that there should be nothing for us without us. This implies that the lived experiences have to be involved in the advocacy. The lived experiences have to have meaningful involvement and they should participate in the projects. Listening to the voices of people living with NCDs can reshape the NCD response.

There were five broad NCD gaps that were identified. These are Accountability, Leadership, Investment, Care, and Community Engagement. There have been calls for stronger leadership and accountability and a need to incorporate NCDs within universal health coverage packages. Much effort should also be put in the social movements and voices for change so as to increase community engagement. There should be advocacy for international donors and advocacy for the inclusion of NCDs in national health budgets and plans.

 

This was an interactive wall, where we left encouraging messages.

I am glad I attended this forum because I learned very many new things that I will be happy to share with my friends. The forum also helped me to make new connections and friends, expand professional networks, share experiences, and learn from each other.