As part of the expert visit from the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry of Health (MOH) convened today (Thursday) a meeting on the national monitoring framework for the prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).

The WHO delegation, currently visiting the Sultanate for four days, is headed by Dr. Asmus Hemrick, the Director of the Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health Department at the WHO office in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

The meeting touched upon the monitoring mechanisms of the national indicators of multisectoral interventions for NCDs prevention and control, as well as promoting efforts to reduce the high rates of these diseases.

The meeting reviewed the global and local burden of the NCDs and the critical role of various sectors in developing and implementing the recommended interventions to tackle the NCDs.

Furthermore, the meeting highlighted the importance of activating the national monitoring system of NCDs to investigate the NCDs prevalence rates and risk factors.

It is worth mentioning that the Ministry of Health launched, in November 2021, the National Monitoring Framework for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases as part of the national plan for NCDs.