The National Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases and Health Promotion in Pakistan--Prelude and finale.

In Pakistan a public-private partnership--led by the NGO Heartfile and constituted additionally by the Ministry of Health, Government of Pakistan and the WHO Pakistan office--was launched in April 2003. Mandated with the task of developing and implementing a national strategy for achieving national goals for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This was the first opportunity to mount a truly 'National Plan of Action' in Pakistan enlisting a broader range of inputs and with the Governments commitment to NCD as a priority. The partnership recently released a strategic framework for action--the National Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases and Health Promotion in Pakistan (NAP-NCD)--an integrated and concerted approach addressing the multidisciplinary range of issues within a prevention and control framework across a broad range of NCDs. Incorporating both policies and actions and set within a long-term and life course perspective, NAP-NCD calls for an institutional, community and public policy level change factoring integration at four levels: grouping NCDs so that they can be targeted through a set of actions, harmonizing actions, integrating actions with existing public health systems and incorporating contemporary evidence-based concepts with this approach. The NAP-NCD delivers an Integrated Framework for Action, which has been modelled to impact a set of indicators through the combination of range of actions in tandem with rigorous formative research. Drawing on the strengths of various public and private sector partners, this programme outlines a scope of interventions that are built on shared responsibility, allowing agencies to participate according to their own missions and mandates. The partnership is in harmony with national health priorities, complements state initiatives and is optimally integrated with the national health system. The partnership has brought value to all the three partners. The government has harnessed the technical strength of a private sector partner, which in turn is contributing to the country's National Plan within the framework of priorities set by broad-based national consensus; WHO, on the other hand, is gaining experience in working in a country model in which the private sector can be supported through WHO country resources, which are typically earmarked for public sector initiatives. Work is currently underway to implement the first phase of NAP-NCD.