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Medtronic Answers United Nations’ Call for “International Commitment” to Non-Communicable Diseases

In its continued commitment to reduce the global burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), Medtronic, Inc. today announced it will make nearly $4 million in Medtronic Foundation grants in 2011 to international organizations specifically to address diseases such as diabetes and heart disease in developing countries.  With non-communicable diseases accounting for 60 percent of all deaths worldwide, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon earlier this year called upon the world’s businesses to help address NCDs, which are expected to increase by 50 percent in developing countries by 2030.   NCDs account for roughly 75 percent of healthcare costs in both advanced and developing economies, according to the World Economic Forum. “The cost in human life and health is just one dimension of the global epidemic of non-communicable disease,” said Bill Hawkins, Medtronic’s chairman and chief executive officer.  “Insufficient management of chronic illness can have a devastating impact on economic growth and productivity, especially in the world’s most underserved communities where access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment options are often severely limited.” Image: pih.org. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: Global | Company: Medtronic | Source: Medtronic

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