Integrating care across non-communicable diseases and maternal and child health

Abstract

Important for universal health coverage and sustainable development goals Rapid epidemiological and demographic transitions globally have seen the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and mental health problems. The response requires innovative integrated healthcare delivery models combined with population health approaches to tackle the behavioural, socioeconomic, environmental, and commercial determinants of NCDs.1234 The World Health Organization defines integrated care as the management and delivery of health services so that people receive a continuum of preventive and curative services according to their needs over time and across different levels and sites of care.5 In the context of NCDs, several levels of integration are required, through action within the health sector and beyond to implement whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches.467 The first priority is integrating preventive with curative care, including reducing exposure to risk factors through health promotion and primary prevention, early detection and management, and surveillance to monitor trends in risk factors and diseases. The second is …