Accomplishments of Kazakhstan in combating cardiovascular illnesses and cancer underscored in WHO document
Kazakhstan Achieves Landmark Milestone in Reducing Non-Communicable Disease Mortality
Kazakhstan has made significant strides in reducing premature mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), becoming the first country in Central Asia to reach the 2025 Global Monitoring System target of a 25% reduction. This achievement is a testament to the country's comprehensive approach to NCD prevention and treatment.
The country's success can be attributed to several key strategies:
- Tobacco Control Measures: Kazakhstan has enforced some of the strongest tobacco control policies in the post-Soviet region. These measures include a public smoking ban, graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging, tax increases on tobacco products, restrictions on tobacco display and sales, and a complete ban on e-cigarettes and vapes. As a result, smoking prevalence has declined to around 20% over the past decade.
- Reducing Sugar Consumption: Kazakhstan has taken steps to address unhealthy diets linked to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. This includes a ban on the sale of sugar-sweetened beverages in schools and a 2024 law prohibiting the sale of energy drinks to individuals under 21 years old.
- Cancer Prevention and Early Detection: Kazakhstan has launched an HPV vaccination campaign and expanded early screening programs for eight diseases, including breast and colorectal cancer. These efforts contribute to early diagnosis and improved treatment outcomes.
- Healthcare System Strengthening: Kazakhstan has invested in cancer registries and health information systems to support data-driven decision-making and align with international standards. Collaboration with WHO/Europe has played a crucial role in shaping policies and monitoring progress.
Despite these advances, Kazakhstan acknowledges gaps such as limited policies on salt reduction, partial implementation of regulations on trans fats and breast milk substitutes, and weak marketing restrictions of unhealthy foods to children. These areas are planned for future improvement.
Mortality rates in Kazakhstan have been steadily decreasing, from 9.6 cases per 1,000 people in 2021 to 6.5 in 2023 and 2024. The number of catheterization laboratories performing critical cardiac interventions increased from 31 to 49 nationwide between 2017 and 2024.
Kazakhstan's success in reducing NCD mortality is particularly noteworthy given that NCDs, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes, pose the most serious health threat to people in the European Region, accounting for 90% of all deaths in the Region.
As Kazakhstan continues to invest in its cancer registries and health information systems for data-driven decisions and progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals and WHO's 2016-2030 European Programme of Work, it is poised to make further strides in reducing NCD mortality.
Sources:
- World Health Organization (WHO) - European Region
- WHO European Programme of Work 2016-2030
- UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Report: "Preventable mortality, risk factors, and strategies for NCDs: Using data to achieve results"
Note: The article is written in Markdown format, with each paragraph separated by two line breaks.
- Kazakhstan's success in reducing non-communicable disease mortality, particularly focusing on cardiovascular diseases and cancer, is a significant achievement in the realm of health-and-wellness, demonstrating the effectiveness of their comprehensive therapies-and-treatments and preventive strategies.
- In their effort to reduce non-communicable disease mortality, Kazakhstan has prioritized medical-conditions such as cancer by launching HPV vaccination campaigns and expanding early screening programs, contributing to early diagnoses and improved treatment outcomes.
- The strategies adopted by Kazakhstan, including tobacco control measures, reducing sugar consumption, and focusing on cancer prevention and detection, have contributed to advances in cardiovascular-health and overall health-and-wellness, aligning with international standards and global initiatives like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
