Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The case for investment.

Abstract 

This report is the result of a project to develop an investment case for interventions aimed at the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter “the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina” or “the entity”). It considers the current NCD health and economic burdens along with current risk levels, the healthcare institutional context, potential barriers to change, as well as current NCD policies. Noncommunicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease (or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) pose a significant threat to health and economic development in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Already, NCDs are collectively the leading killers in the entity and their total economic toll is roughly 8% of its gross domestic product. An ageing population, high levels of tobacco consumption, poor diet, excess weight, hypertension, and air pollution are among the drivers of NCDs there. Although some positive efforts to reduce risks and improve NCD diagnosis and care have taken place, these are insufficient to address this burden comprehensively. Research for this report examined the costs and benefits of five intervention packages which could play a role in addressing the NCD burden in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While all could yield important benefits, two in particular – reducing salt consumption and tobacco control – would lead in the next 15 years to economic growth which far outpaced the size of the investment in the measures themselves. Together, the two packages would likely save more than 14,500 lives over the next 15 years. This report, drafted by United Health Futures, draws on inputs from a United Nations Development Programme Institutional Context Analysis which examined the institutional, governmental, and stakeholder arrangements as well as relationships relevant to managing, preventing and controlling NCDs in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The methodology for the analysis is provided in Appendix A. In addition, a team from United Health Futures provided an extensive economic analysis which, for this report, looked in depth at the economic costs which NCDs pose for the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as determining the return on investment of several potential interventions to lessen this burden. The methodology for the economic analysis can be found in Appendix B.

Link: bosnia-and-herzegovina-ncd-report.pdf