From the UNGA Floor: Building sustainable health systems for children with NCDs

Padmaja Kumari Parmar, Founder, The Friends of Mewar & Global Ambassador, Breakthrough T1D, discusses the need to strengthen long-term care systems and make childhood NCD services more accessible and sustainable

For much of the global health agenda, childhood health has traditionally been associated with infectious diseases, nutrition, immunisation and maternal and child health. The growing recognition of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) among children and adolescents is adding another dimension to this agenda.

The issue will form part of discussions at the 81st United Nations General Assembly titled “Creating the Conditions for Care: Building Sustainable Health Systems for Children Living with Noncommunicable Diseases.” Scheduled for September 23, 2026, the event will bring together partners, implementers, academia and health advocates to discuss prevention, diagnosis and long-term care for children living with or at risk of NCDs.

The discussion is centred on the role of health systems in providing continuous care. According to the event concept note, the focus includes scalable, country-led solutions, integrated health systems, equitable access to childhood NCD services and the mobilisation of resources for sustainable care.

This approach reflects the nature of many childhood NCDs, where healthcare can extend over years rather than being limited to a single episode of treatment. Diagnosis may need to be followed by regular monitoring, medication, specialist consultations and ongoing engagement between families and healthcare providers.

Type 1 diabetes provides one example of this long-term care requirement. I live with Type 1 diabetes, and the condition has been part of my own experience of healthcare. Daily management involves a continuing relationship with treatment, monitoring and healthcare services rather than a one-time medical intervention.

Globally, UNICEF identifies diabetes among the NCDs affecting children and adolescents. Its work on childhood NCDs includes strengthening health systems and improving access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment, particularly in resource-limited settings. UNICEF estimates that approximately 1.1 million children and adolescents are living with Type 1 diabetes globally. (UNICEF)

The health-system dimension becomes particularly relevant when looking at access to care across different settings. Availability of trained health workers, diagnostic services, medicines, technologies and referral systems can vary considerably between communities and countries. For families managing a chronic childhood condition, these factors can influence how consistently care can be accessed.

The UN event places this issue within the broader framework of Sustainable Development Goal 3, which focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages. The event’s stated objectives include accelerating progress towards SDG3 (Sustainable Development Goal 3: “Good Health and Well-being ), through child-centred NCD prevention and care and strengthening health systems in resource-limited settings.

Another feature of the discussion is its emphasis on collaboration. The concept note describes participation from current and potential partners and highlights multisectoral collaborations as a means of strengthening health systems.

This includes the role of governments, healthcare systems, development organisations, philanthropic institutions, academia, technical experts and health advocates. The concept note identifies partners, prospects, implementers, academia and health advocates among the intended audience for the discussion.

For children, the implications of NCD care also extend beyond clinical settings. A child living with a chronic condition continues to attend school, participate in family and community life and transition through different stages of childhood and adolescence. Consequently, continuity of care involves not only medical services but also the wider systems surrounding the child.The UNGA event comes against this wider backdrop of discussions around childhood NCDs and health-system capacity. Its stated intended outcome is to examine how health-system strengthening can contribute to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and long-term care for children living with or at risk of NCDs, particularly in resource-limited settings.

For those of us living with chronic conditions, these discussions have a direct human dimension. For a child diagnosed with an NCD, healthcare is not confined to the day of diagnosis. It becomes part of everyday life.The global conversation is therefore moving beyond individual diseases towards questions of how healthcare systems provide continuity of care, how services reach children in different settings, and how partnerships and resources can support long-term management.

The September 23 discussion at the United Nations General Assembly places these questions within the international health agenda, with childhood NCDs considered alongside the broader objective of developing stronger, more integrated and sustainable health systems.