At the UN General Assembly high-level meeting in New York next week, South Africa is expected to join other countries in signing a watered down declaration meant to curb diseases such diabetes, cancer and heart disease around the world
About 60 000 South Africans die in a year from diseases that are not caused by tuberculosis or HIV before they turn 70, and about a fifth of these are from diabetes
While progress has been made in some sectors, there are critical gaps in the healthcare infrastructure
Among NCDs is diabetes, which is likely to afflict 8.75 million people by 2040 and requires urgent government intervention
Children are often unable to verbalise their feelings of anxiety or depression, instead presenting with physical symptoms or odd behaviour. Diagnosis and treatment is crucial to set them on a healthy life-long path of managing their illness