Asia-Pacific Heart Summit 2024, 18-19 October, Bangkok
On 19 October 2024 the Ministry of Public Health-Department of Medical Services, National Health Security Office Thailand and the Asia-Pacific Cardiovascular Disease Association concluded a two-day Summit on Cardiovascular Disease in Asia-Pacific and stood stand united in our commitment to combat the region’s leading cause of death. With cardiovascular disease (CVD) claiming 19 lives per minute in our region, the urgency for comprehensive, cohesive action has never been greater. We call upon all stakeholders – research centres, governments and policy makers, healthcare providers and payers, civil society organisations and industries across all sectors – to join forces in implementing the following critical measures:
- Continue to Raise Awareness about CVD nationally, sub-nationally and regionally
- Conduct cross-ministerial policy roundtables to emphasise the need to flatten the CVD curve.
- Implement comprehensive, multi-channel awareness and media campaigns to motivate and educate the general public as well as at-risk populations.
- Collaborate with ministries of education to develop and integrate CVD education programs into school curricula, promoting early awareness and healthy lifestyle habits.
- Partner with patient groups and associations to amplify authentic voices and experiences.
- Engage APEC and ASEAN and key bodies to support regional progress against CVD.
- Develop and Implement Cohesive National CVD Strategies
- Establish holistic national strategies encompassing prevention, early detection, treatment, and rehabilitation.
- Ensure strategies are led by health ministries and involve collaboration across all relevant government sectors and key non-governmental stakeholders including patients.
- Appoint a cross-sectoral governance committee to oversee strategy development and implementation monitoring.
- Foster national-subnational coordination, private sector collaboration and community engagement to ensure effective policy implementation at all levels.
- Prioritise, identify, and set clear, measurable goals in consensus with all stakeholders with progress and goals reviewed periodically.
- Secure Sustainable Financing for CVD Care
- Allocate sufficient funding to cover the entire spectrum of CVD care, from prevention to rehabilitation.
- Invest in strengthening primary care capabilities for early detection and management of CVD risk factors.
- Prioritise funding for emergency medical services, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, to reduce premature deaths.
- Explore innovative financing mechanisms to ensure long-term sustainability of CVD programs.
- Establish Robust Surveillance Systems for CVD
- Develop and implement comprehensive CVD surveillance systems to capture accurate, granular and timely data nationally, sub-nationally and across the region.
- Ensure all data collection and analysis is disaggregated by sex and gender to identify and address disparities in CVD diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes.
- Use surveillance data and fund research to identify trends and risks, inform policy decisions, resource allocation, and the development of targeted interventions.
- Integrate CVD surveillance with existing health information systems to improve efficiency and data quality.
- Ensure Equity in CVD Diagnosis and Treatment
- Develop policies that explicitly address disparities in CVD care, access and outcomes across different population groups, including among women.
- Strengthen screening and diagnostic capabilities in rural and remote areas to improve early detection and leverage digital health solutions for improved access.
- Implement gender-focused CVD prevention and control strategies to address unique risk factors and barriers to care.
- Address Leading Risk Factors and Co-morbidities of CVD
- Implement comprehensive, multi-sectoral policies to tackle unhealthy diets, obesity, and physical inactivity.
- Strengthen obesity screening and management programs, with a focus on childhood obesity prevention.
- Develop integrated care pathways that address the intersectionality between CVD and other non-communicable diseases.
- Enhance CVD Care Capacity Across the Continuum
- Leverage national interoperable health information systems for continuity of care
- Develop workforce plans to address shortages in CVD specialists.
- Develop models of CVD care that involve multidisciplinary teams to improve adherence to proven therapies for optimal medical and patient reported outcomes at least cost.
- Encourage community involvement and referral systems in support of seamless care.
- Develop a digital health strategy to support better CVD outcomes
- Implement technologies to support early prevention and diagnosis.
- Implement AI-powered risk prediction models to identify high-risk individuals and enable targeted preventive interventions.
- Develop and deploy mobile health applications for patient education, medication adherence, and lifestyle modification support.
- Integrate wearable devices and remote monitoring systems into CVD care pathways to support early detection and enable continuous patient monitoring.
We stand at a critical juncture in our fight against cardiovascular disease in the Asia-Pacific region. The human and economic toll of CVD is staggering, with direct costs of CVD hospitalizations and treatment in just nine countries estimated at US$177.9 billion. This economic burden is even higher when taking into account the lost productivity years.
By implementing these measures, we aim to achieve three crucial outcomes for our health systems:
- Reduce premature deaths from CVD
- Decrease hospitalizations and re-hospitalizations
- Bend the CVD growth curve
The time for action is now. We call upon all stakeholders to commit to these measures and work collaboratively to transform our approach to cardiovascular health. Together, we can build more resilient health systems, save millions of lives, and create a healthier future for all people in the Asia-Pacific region. The heart of Asia-Pacific depends on our collective effort and unwavering commitment.
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