The Problem
Low and middle-income countries are confronting a change in the diseases they face with decreasing burden due to viruses and bacteria but more with diseases linked to changes in lifestyle. This means that health systems now need to manage a diverse range of diseases with most of the burden of treatment needing to focus on poor and vulnerable populations. The chronic nature of NCDs and NTDs is a burden on individuals and families in terms of lost productivity, cost of care, disability, death, and stigma. Women are particularly vulnerable given the social, gender and economic inequalities.