IAEA Strategy for Enhancing the Sustainability of Nuclear Medicine in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

The incidence and mortality associated with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is on the rise globally. There has been a significant shift in the global disease burden in the past decades from communicable infectious diseases to non-communicable diseases, especially evident in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 38 million people die each year as a consequence of NCDs. It is expected that in the next 25 years the majority of new NCD cases and associated deaths will occur in LMICs. The increase in NCDs is related to several factors, including population growth, increased life expectancy and changes in lifestyle. The most frequent NCDs are cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes.