CNN opinion referenced a CGD report on noncommunicable diseases by deputy director of global health Rachel Nugent.
From the article:
Every year, according to the World Health Organization, noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic obstructive lung disease claim 35 million lives worldwide.
These diseases are the world's leading cause of disability and death, amounting to about 60 percent of the global death toll. Cancer alone kills more than HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. The vast majority of these largely preventable deaths happen in low- and middle-income countries -- the areas often least prepared to mount a fight against this deadly epidemic.
In addition to their human toll, these diseases wreak havoc on family budgets and national economies. According to a report by the American Cancer Society and Livestrong, just two of these diseases -- cancer and heart disease -- cost more than $1.6 trillion in losses from premature death and disability in 2008. That number may be double when you include direct medical costs.
Despite these alarming facts, programs to address noncommunicable diseases and invest in health system infrastructure receive little funding. According to a report released recently by the Center for Global Development, in 2007, noncommunicable diseases received less than 3 percent of the development assistance devoted to global health.