More than 680,000 men aged 18 and above visited primary healthcare facilities countrywide during the “Be responsible!” republican campaign in February to identify risk factors that can lead to non-communicable diseases.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are chronic, slowly progressing diseases. These include cardiovascular diseases, cancer, lung diseases, and diabetes. According to the Ministry of Health, in 2022, cardiovascular diseases were the leading cause of death (52.1%), followed by cancer (12.2%) and respiratory diseases (5.5%). Common preventable risk factors for NCDs are unhealthy diet (in particular, high salt intake, insufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables), tobacco use and alcohol abuse, as well as insufficient physical activity.
The primary objective of the health month was to encourage men in Kyrgyzstan to visit primary health facilities for the prevention and early detection of non-communicable diseases in order to avoid complications. During this year's campaign, more than 680,000 men visited primary healthcare organizations across the country. Of those, 149,000 men had either never visited a primary healthcare organization before or had not done so in the last two years. More than 44,000 (6%) were identified with a high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, while nearly 33,000 (5%) men were found to be at high risk for diabetes. The total coverage of men visiting health facilities amounted to 47% of the total number of men over 18 years of age who currently reside in the country.
In 2019, the health campaign was conducted for the first time in the framework of the Swiss-funded project “Effective Management and Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases in Kyrgyzstan”. Given the success and impact of the campaign, in 2023, the Ministry of Health issued an order to organize the month of February countrywide on an annual basis.
For more information on the project, please contact Begaiym Egimbaeva, Communications Officer, tel.: (0312) 90 63 10, email: egimbaeva.b@gmail.com
Webpage: https://ncdproject.kg/
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