Apurva, New Zealand
I am a medical student, and in my first year of hospital placement I could see the far-reaching effects of NCDs on people's lives. I saw patients who had to have amputations as a result of their diabetes. I saw people who had developed liver cirrhosis as a result of fatty liver disease. I saw patients in resuscitation after having a heart attack, or being rehabilitated after a stroke. Many of these conditions are preventable and are caused by modifiable risk factors, such as smoking or unhealthy diets. Exposure to these risk factors are often beyond individual control as they are heavily dictated by a person's surrounding environment. I therefore strongly support the cause of raising awareness about these diseases, and of advocating for social and structural change to address them at an upstream level. Too many people are suffering needlessly and action needs to be taken.