28 Aug 2009

Pacific told it needs effective ways of monitoring battle against diseases

3:43 pm on 28 August 2009

A nutrition and physical activities officer for the World Health Organisation in Fiji says countries and territories in the Pacific must develop more effective ways of monitoring progress in their battle against non-communicable diseases or NCDs.

Dr Temo Waqanivalu's comments have come during the Pacific Non-Communicable Diseases Forum which concludes in Nadi this afternoon.

He says the participants have agreed they need to create clearer goals, act more strategically and ensure they are monitoring and reporting progress in their fight to curb the epidemic of NDCs including diabetes, cancer and obesity.

"In most countries monitoring and evaluation of non-communicable diseases prevention and control programmes and their national non-communicable disease strategy was something that was weak. We are trying to give them simple tools that WHO and SPC have developed."

Dr Temo Waqanivalu from the WHO.