Refugees and NCDs
Non-Communicable Diseases
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, are caused by behavioural, environmental or genetic factors. They are not spread through infection or from person to person.
The main types of NCDs are cancers, cardiovascular disease (heart attack, stroke), diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. But they also include depression, anxiety disorders, asthma, substance abuse disorders, and others.
NCD’s are a major contributor to ill health worldwide. They cause or contribute to the deaths of 41 million people every year – nearly three in every four global deaths.
Almost half of these are premature deaths (before the age of 70), and the majority of premature deaths caused by NCDs occur in low and middle-income countries. NCDs also make millions of people unable to work due to ill health.
The major risk factors of NCDs are modifiable behaviors such as tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and alcohol misuse. Pollution is also a significant contributor.
As people live longer and diets and lifestyles change, the global disease burden of NCDs continues to grow rapidly.
Globally, international donors and national governments have not allocated sufficient resources to tackling NCDs. This is partly due to the costs associated with long-term treatment, and partly due to data gaps that hamper the development of NCD investment strategies.
Consequently, the share of development assistance allocated to NCDs has remained between 1-2% since 2000, despite the rapidly growing disease burden of NCDs, particularly in low and middle-income countries.
The economic impact of NCDs is vast, both in terms of treatment costs and the impact on productivity and human capital. It’s also a human rights issue, as NCDs are placing a disproportionate burden on people and communities in low and middle-income countries. Without state support for health care, they may also face catastrophic health costs if they seek treatment.
Ultimately, the cost of inaction on NCDs will be far greater than the cost of investing sufficiently in prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment.
NCDs are often overlooked in refugee settings because care providers focus on health needs perceived to be of greater immediate urgency, such as infectious diseases. However, NCDs remain a major cause of ill health and death among refugees, as among all other global populations. A health care response focused on the longer-term health and well-being of refugees needs to address NCDs alongside other health care priorities.
A 2024 study of NCDs among Rohingya refugees identified rates of adult hypertension and diabetes at 14.1% and 11.0%, respectively.
With more than one million Rohingya refugees sheltering in Bangladesh, this indicates that tens of thousands are living with hypertension, diabetes and, no doubt, other NCDs. The relatively young median age (25 for females and 19 for males) of the study’s sample size implies that actual prevalence is likely to be much higher.
> Learn more about the Rohingya Refugee Crisis
Since 2017, Community Partners International (CPI) has supported Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to access essential health care, safe water, sanitation and hygiene.
We integrate NCD prevention and care into the standard package of primary health care services offered to Rohingya refugees through our health post in Kutupalong Refugee Camp. Our focus is on prevention, early diagnosis, referral to care, and ongoing monitoring and support.
Crucially, alongside facility-based services, CPI supports a networks of outreach workers who visit refugees families to raise awareness of NCDs and risk factors, and offer health advice and monitoring. They conduct home-based health monitoring, including blood pressure and blood sugar measurement.
This community-based approach has helped us enroll more than 1,300 refugees in NCD care.
Fatema, a refugee from Myanmar sheltering in Bangladesh, had felt unwell for some time, but she wasn’t sure what was wrong.
When, Reshmatur, an outreach worker supported by Community Partners International visited, she suspected that Fatema may be suffering from an NCD. Watch the video below to find out what happened next.
Your gift can help vulnerable communities learn about NCDs and how to prevent them.
Your gift can help people with NCDs receive an early diagnosis and minimize the impacts on their health.
Your gift can help people with NCDs receive the monitoring and care they need to control their disease and achieve a better quality of life.
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