{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,14]],"date-time":"2026-07-14T12:25:15Z","timestamp":1784031915433,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO\/EMRO)","issue":"12","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["East Mediterr Health J."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Health systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, struggled to maintain essential noncommunicable disease services during the COVID-19 pandemic.\nAim: We assessed the extent of disruptions to non-communicable disease services in the Eastern Mediterranean Region during the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring the challenges and mitigation strategies.\nMethods: From October to December 2021, we interviewed WHO country focal points for non-communicable disease from 16 Eastern Mediterranean Region countries and analysed the data.\nResults: Emergency and primary care services were disrupted in most of the countries. One country experienced total disruption to primary care while 7 experienced at least 50% disruption. The proportion of fully disrupted essential non-communicable disease services was highest in the lower-middle income countries. Specialized services, including cancer screening and radiotherapy, were more severely affected, while dialysis was relatively well-maintained. The most frequently mentioned reasons for disruption were fear of contagion, staff redeployment to COVID-19 response, lack of access to services due to lockdowns, and cancellation of elective procedures. Two of the mitigation measures were use of telemedicine and community volunteers and home drug delivery.\nConclusion: COVID-19 caused disruptions to non-communicable disease services in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, however, some countries implemented measures to mitigate the disruptions. There is a need for long-term, sustainable, integrated and well-coordinated national and regional strategies that will ensure the continuity of non-communicable disease services during emergencies and pandemics.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.26719\/2025.31.12.669","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]],"date-time":"2025-12-24T08:12:35Z","timestamp":1766563955000},"page":"669-679","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Maintaining essential non-communicable disease services in the Eastern Mediterranean Region during the COVID-19 pandemic"],"prefix":"10.26719","volume":"31","author":[{"given":"Eman","family":"Alkhalawi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hicham","family":"El Berri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pyi Pyi","family":"Phyo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eiman","family":"Hag","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Matilda","family":"Bystr\u00f6m","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Asmus","family":"Hammerich","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"11263","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]]},"container-title":["Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/applications.emro.who.int\/EMHJ\/V31\/12\/1020-3397-2025-3112-669-679-eng.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]],"date-time":"2025-12-24T08:12:35Z","timestamp":1766563955000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/applications.emro.who.int\/EMHJ\/V31\/12\/1020-3397-2025-3112-669-679-eng.pdf"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"12","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.26719\/2025.31.12.669","relation":{},"ISSN":["1020-3397","1687-1634"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1020-3397","type":"print"},{"value":"1687-1634","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]]}}}