Case Study, Sustainability, Goal 3: Good health and well-being

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent a significant and growing burden on public health. By 2020, chronic diseases are projected to account for more than double the number of deaths than infectious diseases (50 million vs. 20 million).

The problem is more acute in developing countries, where it is estimated that seven of every 10 deaths will be attributable to NCDs by 2020[1]. In Jordan, for example, NCDs accounted for 78% of disease-related deaths in 2016 and cost the country $840 million[2].

[1] “The burden of non-communicable diseases in developing countries” Boutayeb, Abdesslam & Boutayeb, Saber. International Journal for Equity in Health 2005 4:2; DOI: 10.1186/1475-9276-4-2; http://equityhealthj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-9276-4-2

[2] World Health Organization, Jordan: Risk of Premature Death due to NCDs (%), 2016 http://www.who.int/nmh/countries/jor_en.pdf

Tackling NCDs in Jordan through Healthy Community Clinics

In 2014, we extended our collaboration with our longstanding partners, the Royal Health Awareness Society (RHAS) and the Jordanian Ministry of Health to support their goal to establish 20 Healthy Community Clinics (HCCs) around the country. HCCs are part of a nationwide, community-based programme established in 2011 by RHAS and the Ministry of Health.

HCCs and the Sustainable Development Goals

The goal of the HCCs is improving services and awareness related to the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This links directly to SDG target 3.4 which aims to reduce premature deaths from NCDs by one-third.

HCCs offer medical practitioners the resources and training necessary to raise patient and community awareness of the risks of NCDs and options for disease prevention. They also offer preventative services at the primary-care level, particularly targeting underserved communities.

We support HCCs with financial assistance, equipment and training and development for healthcare professionals.

The impact of our support for two HCCs (Sahab Clinic and Wadi Al Seer Clinic) between 2014 and 2017 is shown below.

Resulting impact

550
people (Sahab & Wadi Al Seer)
2750
people (Sahab & Wadi Al Seer)
1316
sessions
346
sessions

 

 

Reductions in diesease prevalence in Wadi Al Seer clinic

6.3%
mean reduction in HbA1c for diabetic patients
2.3%
mean reduction in the diastolic blood pressure of hypertensive patients
2.8%
mean reduction in the systolic blood pressure for hyertensive patients
1.18%
mean reduction in BMI for participants in nutritional sessions