The statistics are stark. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, are responsible for a staggering 75% of non-pandemic deaths worldwide.

This isn’t just a challenge for high-income nations; it’s a crisis that hits low- and middle-income countries the hardest, where 85% of premature NCD deaths occur. It’s clear the traditional approach to healthcare isn’t enough. We need a new strategy, one that empowers individuals and strengthens health systems from the ground up.

This is the promise of self-care, a concept that is now rightfully at the center of the global health conversation. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines self-care as the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, and manage illness. It’s a simple but powerful idea that focuses on empowering people to take an active role in their own health, from managing chronic conditions to getting vaccinated or using digital health tools to monitor blood pressure.

A smarter approach to health

At first glance, self-care might sound like an individual responsibility, but it’s a powerful public health strategy with benefits that ripple across entire societies. The “Health for All, by All” self-care manifesto launched by the United for Self-Care Coalition on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly this week champions this very idea, aligning with the new 2025 UN Political Declaration on NCDs. The manifesto argues that by investing in self-care, we can make healthcare more accessible, more efficient, and more equitable.

Consider the potential impact. Self-care interventions can help 150 million more people gain control over their hypertension and help another 150 million more quit tobacco. The numbers aren’t just about saving lives; they’re also about saving healthcare systems from breaking under the strain. By empowering individuals to manage routine health needs, we can free up doctors and nurses to focus on more critical cases. This isn’t bypassing health systems; it’s strengthening them.

And the economic benefits are immense. We’re talking about billions of dollars in annual savings. By 2030, self-care interventions across the board could generate $179 billion in healthcare savings and free up 2.8 billion physician hours per year. In low- and middle-income countries, this could lead to $230 billion in potential gains, fundamentally changing the healthcare landscape.

Our call to action

Self-care isn’t a replacement for professional medical care. It’s an essential partner. It’s about creating a health ecosystem where people have the tools and knowledge to stay healthy, and where healthcare providers can use their expertise most effectively. The manifesto calls on policymakers and Member States to make this a reality by:

• Providing dedicated investment in self-care infrastructure, including digital health tools, education campaigns, and equitable access to self-care products and tools, with a particular focus on women, youth, marginalized communities, and vulnerable populations.
• Incentivizing self-care within financing models such as through value-based care, universal coverage schemes, and public-private partnerships.
• Embedding self-care in health workforce planning allowing care teams to focus their expertise where it’s most needed, while individuals take more control over routine management.
• Integrating self-care into primary care strategies enabling earlier intervention, better health outcomes, and reduced system strain.
• Systematically involving patients and people with lived experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating self-care infrastructure, policies, products and tools.

The solutions are ready and realizable. Now is the time to embrace a new approach to global health – one that empowers us all to turn the tide on NCDs, together.

The United for Self-Care Coalition is a global alliance of like-minded organizations dedicated to the common goal: to achieve universal health coverage through codifying self-care as a critical component of the self-care continuum, particularly in the context of managing NCDs.

Image Credits: Gabin Vallet, United for Self-Care Coalition .