Ahead of the World Heart Day slated September 29, Dr. Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge of WHO South-East Asia, said that every minute eight people die due to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in the Region, with half of these deaths occurring prematurely in individuals below 70 years of age.
She emphasised that the World Heart Day 2025, under the theme ‘Don’t Miss a Beat,’ is an opportunity for Member States, WHO, and stakeholders to renew their shared commitment to reducing preventable and premature deaths from CVDs.
Dr. Boehme recalled that two years since the Region adopted the resolution ‘SEAHEARTS: Accelerating Prevention and Control of Cardiovascular Diseases in the South-East Asia Region,’ which is a landmark commitment to tackle the growing burden of CVDs.
She said that major risk factors for CVDs include hypertension, diabetes, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets high in salt and fats, and physical inactivity. She further noted that as many as 85% of people living with hypertension and diabetes in the Region do not have their conditions under control.
Dr. Boehme emphasised that the SEAHEARTS resolution commits to placing 100 million people with hypertension and/or diabetes on protocol-based management by 2025 and accelerating efforts for tobacco control, salt reduction, and elimination of trans-fatty acids from the food chain.
She said that progress has been encouraging, with over 90 million people receiving protocol-based management in public health facilities, legislation protecting more than 1.7 billion people from trans-fatty acids enacted, and over 103 million people covered by at least three WHO MPOWER tobacco control measures as of June 2025.
However, the WHO officer noted that major challenges remain, including commercial determinants of health, weak enforcement of policies, poor monitoring of marketing bans, low public awareness of risk factors, and inadequate capacity to implement legislative actions.
She emphasised that quality care delivery is affected by limited funding for noncommunicable disease programmes, shortage of trained health workers, and gaps in access to diagnostics and medicines at the primary care level.
Dr. Boehme said that turning the tide requires a collective, whole-of-society approach involving governments, civil society, academia, the private sector, and communities, as no single actor can address CVDs alone.
She noted that individuals must take steps such as quitting tobacco, reducing salt intake, engaging in daily physical activity, and managing stress to maintain heart health.
Dr. Boehme emphasised that governments and policymakers should prioritise salt-reduction measures, elimination of industrially produced trans-fats, and enforcement of comprehensive tobacco control laws.
She said that primary health care remains the frontline approach for heart health and must be strengthened by improving availability of medicines and technologies, enhancing urban health systems, and engaging the private health sector.
