Over 80m Pakistani living with one or more NCDs or lifestyle diseases, AKU launches think to tackle the issue

Approximately 80 million Pakistanis are living with one or more Non-Communicable Diseases or NCDs – a set of chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, cancer, diabetes, conditions caused by tobacco abuse, and mental disorders – that are predominantly caused by poor lifestyle choices and environmental risk factors such as pollution and urbanisation… “In order to address this issue, health professionals at Aga Khan University have launched a new think tank, AKUPI-NCD – in partnership with experts from a variety of sectors – that will recommend novel, integrated approaches to address the threat of NCDs: the leading cause of death in the country”, said Prof. Zainab Samad, Chair of the AKUPI-NCD on Tuesday.