Dear Portfolio Committee on Health,

The SANCDA+ hereby requests an opportunity to address the Health Portfolio Committee on the sub-optimal status of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). It is our contention that this cluster of diseases is not prioritised (political and overall health funding) like communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS and TB are.
Who is the SANCDA+? http://www.sancda.org/
The SANCDA+ is an advocacy community of 100 civil society organisations committed to the realisation of the health and human rights of people living with NCDs+ (PLWNCDs+). Our mission is to ensure that people living with NCDs+ have regular, affordable, quality and evidence-based access to NCDs+ treatments and services. We maintain that people afflicted and affected by NCDs+ (including families and communities) must receive essential care without suffering financial hardship.
NCDs+ equity is benchmarked with the care provided to people living with communicable diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS, TB and STIs. The benchmarking criteria are found in existing policy and resourcing.
NCDs+
NCDs+ are the leading cause of death in South Africa with 59.9% as opposed to 21.6% for communicable diseases. (StatsSA 2018 causes of death https://bit.ly/3iDCj0u ). NCDs+ is an inclusive term and covers mental health, disabilities and all non-infectious causes of death like self-harm and accidents.

The Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) 2019-2024 does not allocate national or provincial funding for NCDs+ prevention and control. We implore the government to urgently change this status quo.
Our human rights and policy advocacy
1. The SANCDA+ has filed a complaint with the SA Human Rights Commission for the neglect of people living with NCDs+'s health and health-related human rights (ref no GP/2122/0026/BJ/K). In terms of our complaint, failure to act on NCDs+ goes beyond the National and Provincial Departments Health – to include the Presidency and National Planning Commission The link to the complaint is here https://bit.ly/37C3J3p
nd the evidence and timeline is here. https://bit.ly/37HXrzh
2. The 3rd NCDs+ National Strategic Plan 2022-2027 launched yesterday is an unfunded compromise policy. https://bit.ly/3za7toq
It was recently approved by the National Health Council and the National Council of Provinces. Within the NHI there is no clear plan to include NCDs+ as a priority.
3. The SANCDA+ requests that chapter 10 of the National Development Plan should expressly make NCDs+ a national priority and not limit the national response to the prevention of “lifestyle” diseases. We have requested interventions with the Presidency and National Planning Commission since 2021.