National policies and strategies for noncommunicable diseases

Good public policies are vital for protecting the health of populations. For the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCD), a single national policy is essential. Such a policy ensures clarity of vision and purpose, sets the platform for joint action to address risk factors and determinants that are shared by major NCDs, and provides coherence with other health and social policies. A national NCD policy also provides an overarching framework that enables governments to combine and balance synergistic public health strategies that target the whole population and those that target high-risk groups. Given that the adopted strategies are evidence-based and cost-effective, national NCD policy development can provide a strong basis for appropriate legislation and regulation in relation to tobacco control and promotion of healthy diet and physical activity. A national policy also serves as a vehicle to facilitate efficient and effective use of available public finances for NCD-related health care, while safeguarding equity. For the reasons alluded to above, a single national NCD policy is more appropriate than separate national polices for each individual NCD, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries that have a critical shortage of human and financial resources, including those necessary for policy development and implementation.