Editorial

Abstract

Promotion of physical activity and prevention of non-communicable disease (NCDs) are among the most important and definite goals of health promotion. Below statement was prepared, provided, and presented in the 66^th World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) session on behalf of International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM), late October 2019 in Tehran, Iran, session. This is putted here as Editorial of the summer edition of the JPMRE.

The International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) celebrates the regional committee's approach to accelerate regional implementation of the Political Declaration of the Third United Nations High-level Meeting on Non-communicable Diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean (EM) countries. Especially emphasis on scaling up implementation of an updated regional framework for action on prevention, control, and management of NCDs. Non-communicable Diseases such as stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI), and coronary artery disease (CAD) were responsible for 2.6 million deaths in 2016, and supposed to be responsible for 3.8 million deaths in 2030. Disability-adjusted life years lost to NCDs are growing; violent conflicts, regional wars, natural disasters, and population migrations are re-shaping the global health landscape in the EM region, and people with disabilities have the greatest difficulty in accessing health services. Referring to Annex 1 agenda item 3 (e) addressing governance areas of commitments, it is expected that countries integrate the prevention and control of NCDs into national policies and developmental plans.

Preparation and enrolling National Rehabilitation Plan for each country is a key strategy in this area. In the area of prevention and risk factor reduction, taking advantage of rehabilitation professionals’ capabilities including physicians specialized in physical and rehabilitation medicine and therapists in prevention of NCDs, would be a valuable strategy in the countries’ policies, through prescription and supervision of physical activity and rehabilitation measures. In the area of surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, setting up registry systems for NCDs and inclusion of rehabilitation sector for disease registry system would be very important. In the area of health care, preparing national guidelines for encouraging and implementation of rehabilitation medicine measures in prevention and management of NCDs is suggested.

Since rehabilitation is considered a key strategy in achieving universal health coverage, and the fact that rehabilitation professionals in primary health care (PHC) are scarce in most countries, we hope by implementation of the above-mentioned suggestions in countries, national health
policies, prevention, control, management and rehabilitation of NCDs according to WHO rehabilitation act 2030¹ would comprehensively be achieved.