The Fijian economy lost over two hundred and fifty million dollars in 2015 due to non-communicable diseases in a study conducted by the World Health Organization.
According to the Regional Health and Development Adviser, UNDP Pacific Office, Ferdinand Strobel, diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cancer account for a quarter of all health expenditure.
“We also see that health expenditure in Fiji are increasing and steadily increasing , 32 percent increase over a period 2007 and 2012 period, that’s just not because of non communicable diseases but given their share in their expenditure, we can quite reasonable link the NCD epidemic to health expenditure in Fiji.”
Meanwhile, Pacific NCD and Health Team Coordinator, Dr Wendy Snowdon says eighty percent of non-communicable diseases are preventable through effective healthy lifestyle.
