From November 12–14, 2024, global health leaders, policymakers, and youth advocates convened at the Qatar National Convention Centre for the 7th World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH). This year’s theme, "Humanizing Health: Conflict, Equity, and Resilience," brought attention to pressing global health issues, with a focus on the hardships experienced by populations in conflict zones, such as Gaza and Sudan, and several sessions addressing the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.
Kate Ndocko, member of the Prevent NCD Youth Advisory Group (YAG), participated in the forum as a member of the WHO Youth Council and attended the first-ever WISH Youth Forum held one day before the main event. The forum brought together young healthcare professionals from Qatar and 13 members of the WHO Youth Council to exchange ideas on advancing palliative care, addressing the ethics of AI in healthcare, and building on the successes of organizations like the EMRO WHO Youth Council, the IFMSA, and the WHO Youth Council. The Youth Forum set the stage for the wider summit, emphasizing the value of youth engagement in shaping global health strategies.
Here are some of the most notable takeaways from WISH 2024 on tackling NCDs:
Women’s Cancer Prevention: Shifting the Focus to Prevention
A session on women’s cancer care addressed the significant burden of breast and cervical cancers in the EMRO Region, where in 2022, 150,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 17,000 with cervical cancer. The Qatar Cancer Society emphasized the importance of prevention, highlighting that for every dollar spent on vaccination, six dollars are saved, and for screening, the return is nearly 80 cents for every dollar invested.
Despite cultural stigmas around premarital sex and vaccination, policy changes have driven shifts in public attitudes. The region now includes five Gulf countries and Morocco that have introduced HPV vaccination programs, with Qatar taking a progressive step by adopting a gender-neutral approach. As Sheikh Dr. Khalid Al-Thani aptly stated, "Once there are policies in place, change happens."
Addressing Obesity: Beyond Individual Responsibility
Obesity was discussed as a complex chronic disease influenced by factors such as genetics (40–70%), aggressive food marketing, and environments that discourage physical activity. Dr. Nathalie Farpour Lambert stressed the importance of shifting the focus from individual responsibility to systemic change.
Key insights included:
- Healthcare professionals’ role: Stigma from medical practitioners often deters people living with obesity from seeking care or participating in screenings for related conditions. Training healthcare workers to provide supportive, non-judgmental care is essential.
- Realistic goals: For adults, achieving a 5–10% reduction in body weight can significantly improve health outcomes. For children, the aim is to stabilize weight gain (limiting increases to under 2–3 kg/year) to gradually shift their status from severe obesity to overweight.
- Training healthcare workers: Addressing obesity and diabetes care as part of their professional development. This includes focusing on psychological aspects of care, improving patient-provider interactions, and reducing stigma.
- Environmental influences: Policies to regulate food marketing, promote healthier options, and design activity-friendly urban spaces are crucial to reducing obesity rates.
Australia’s decision to ban social media for those under 16 was cited as an example of mitigating harmful body image messaging and protecting youth from unhealthy digital marketing.
Culturally Sensitive Approaches to Women’s Mental Health
Mental health stigma remains pervasive, particularly in Arabic-speaking and Muslim-majority regions. WISH sessions explored how culturally tailored approaches can bridge this gap through:
- Framing mental health through physical symptoms: Instead of asking, “Are you depressed?”—which may be seen as a sign of weakness—healthcare providers were encouraged to ask questions like, “Do you worry at night?” or “Is your heart beating fast?”
- Community outreach: Moving conversations outside clinics into familiar spaces, like libraries or community centers, significantly increased engagement.
- Community leader-healthcare professional partnerships: Involving religious scholars to frame care in a way that resonates with patients can increase the uptake of recommendations.
Integrated Care for Obesity, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Diseases
A major session at WISH 2024 focused on the launch of Qatar’s National Action Plan on Obesity, Diabetes, and Modifiable Risk Factors for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) 2024–2030. This strategy aims to reduce non-communicable disease (NCD) mortality by 36% by 2030 by addressing obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases as interconnected conditions. Key strategies include:
- Empowering Patients: Realistic goals for long-term success, emphasizing mental health support and distributing responsibility across all healthcare providers.
- Harnessing Digital Innovation: Using digital health records for data-driven policymaking and AI tools to address food deserts and promote healthier options.
- Public-Private Partnerships: Leveraging fiscal policies like taxes on sugary drinks to incentivize healthier choices and support public health initiatives.
Overall, WISH 2024 provided a unique and insightful opportunity to observe how different regions confront NCD public health challenges.