Dr. Hanan Hassan Balkhi, Regional Director of the World Health Organization for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO), emphasized the pressing need for humanitarian aid during a high-level global technical meeting on noncommunicable diseases in humanitarian settings. The event, hosted by Dr. Hans Kluge, Regional Director for Europe, and graciously hosted by the Government of Denmark, aimed to address the challenge posed by noncommunicable diseases and strengthen health systems for resilience.
Expressing gratitude to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and colleagues in the WHO, Dr. Hanan highlighted the joint efforts in addressing noncommunicable diseases in humanitarian settings.
She provided a stark assessment, stating, “Approximately seven hundred and forty-five million people live in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. Among them, one hundred and forty million people require humanitarian assistance, equating to approximately one in every five individuals. The region hosts fifty-eight percent of the world’s refugees, with thirty-three million and seven hundred thousand people subjected to forced displacement.”
Dr. Hanan continued, revealing the impact of conflicts on the region, saying, “Among the 22 countries and territories, thirteen are directly or indirectly affected by conflicts, with nine classified by the World Bank as fragile or conflict-affected.”
Addressing the urgent needs of individuals living with noncommunicable diseases in humanitarian settings, she highlighted alarming statistics. Two-thirds of annual deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean Region are attributed to noncommunicable diseases. In fragile or conflict-affected settings, the probability of premature death from noncommunicable diseases ranges from 17.8% to 25.1%. Dr. Hanan emphasized the immediate surge in cases of heart attacks, strokes, and asthma following disasters, doubling or even tripling in affected areas. The meeting underscored the critical importance of collective efforts to address the health challenges faced by the population in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
