The regional workshop on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Priorities in Children and Adolescents in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) continued for the second day at InterCity Hotel Muscat.

The three-day workshop is hosted by the Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

The MOH Directorate General of Primary Health Care jointly organizes the Regional Workshop in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) and NCD Child.

The participants on the second day of the workshop touched upon exploring viable means to deliver NCD care, and the country experiences in WHO health-promoting schools initiative such as Oman, Yemen and Jordan.

In addition, the workshop highlighted the advocacy and meaningful engagement of young people, youth perspectives and showcasing NCD advocacy work in the EMR, and the role of civil society and alliances in advocacy for NCDs in children and adolescents in the EMR.

The three-day workshop aims to advocate for NCD priorities in children and adolescents in the EMR, across the continuum of care. The outcomes of this workshop will shift the paradigm in addressing NCD in children not only in Oman but for the entire region.

In Oman, non-communicable diseases lead to the death of more than 4,800 Omanis every year with nearly one in five adults dying from an NCD before the age of 70.

The mortality rate for children and adolescents in the EMR is the second highest among the WHO regions; coupled with the fact that the 10-19 age group constitute one fifth of the population in the EMR, calls for prioritizing children and adolescents health interventions in the region.

Oman is committed to combat the burden of NCDs by strengthening multisectoral engagement. Since the first High-level meeting on the prevention and control of NCDs in 2011, Oman established its multisectoral committee on the prevention and control of NCDs in 2012 and has developed a National multisectoral action plan and policy.