A National Non Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Plan (NCD-PCP) has become a necessity in Lebanon, in view of the increasingly heavy epidemiological and economic burden that these diseases are causing. NCD-centered activities are currently conducted in Lebanon by various public agencies and organizations from the civil society, with a clear predominance of curative activities over preventive ones. Recently, a first Plan aimed at coordinating activities and setting landmark indicators was proposed under the auspices of the WHO Representative Office in Lebanon, originally for the period 2008-2013. Before this Plan could be adopted, it had to be updated to remain aligned with a newer version of the WHO Global Action for NCD Prevention and Control (2016-2020). This present document proposes a set of strategic objectives specifically tailored for Lebanon, largely inspired by the Global document. The vision enshrined in this document is the importance of multi-sectoralism in addressing NCD Prevention and Control. Under this vision, non-health sectors and non-governmental stakeholders are invited to play a major role in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH).
A2. Vision
This Plan is constructed on three basic concepts:
NCD Prevention and Control is a multisectoral responsibility in which the roles of non-health stakeholders have to be defined and activated.
For the health sector, NCD Prevention and Control will enhance the integration of the concept of case-management including both curative AND preventive care as a standard of practice at the PHC level, and a re-orientation of PHC practitioners to community-based primary prevention.
This plan should contribute to the overarching goal of providing adequate universal health coverage to the entire population of Lebanon.