Collaborative strategies for implementing NCD “best buys” in the eastern Mediterranean and Africa: addressing challenges, creating opportunities, and charting the way forward

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are an increasing public health challenge in both the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) and Africa, where they contribute to premature mortality and overall disease burden. Despite the availability of cost-effective "Best Buy" interventions, implementation across these regions has been uneven due to various barriers, including limited resources, inadequate multi-sectoral collaboration, and competing health priorities. These challenges are compounded by emerging public health threats like mental health disorders and environmental factors such as air pollution, recently integrated into the expanded "5×5" framework for NCD prevention and management. This paper presents findings from a roundtable held during EMPHNET's 8th Biennial Regional Conference, which focused on strategies to implement and scale up "Best Buy" interventions in the EMR and Africa. The roundtable gathered regional and global experts to examine successful NCD prevention efforts, explore implementation barriers, and highlight collaboration opportunities. Discussions centered on the need for tailored, context-specific interventions, stronger multi-sectoral partnerships, and increased political commitment to address the growing NCD burden. Sustainable financing was emphasized, with recommendations for establishing innovative funding mechanisms, such as regional NCD and mental health-related funds. Building workforce capacity was highlighted as critical to improving NCD management in resource-constrained settings, particularly through task-shifting models and NCD integration into training programs like the Field Epidemiology Training Program. The discussions underscored the urgency of adopting a whole-of-system approach to addressing NCDs, leveraging lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to strengthen health systems, especially primary health care, and integrate NCD prevention efforts into broader health agendas across both regions.