Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) held the First Advisory Board Meeting on “Sharing Best Practices in CVD Control from Local Communities for National Health Equity.” In accordance with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) control measures, the meeting was held entirely online and was not open to the public.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) such as heart disease and stroke are a leading cause of death from illness in Japan and around the world and are one of the main reasons people begin to need long-term care.

Against this backdrop, the “Basic Act on Countermeasures for Stroke, Heart Disease and Other Cardiovascular Diseases to Extend Healthy Life Expectancies” (or the “Basic Act on Cardiovascular Disease Measures”) was enacted in December 2018 and came into effect in December 2019 after many years of diligent efforts from parties in industry, Government, academia, and civil society. The Basic Act on Cardiovascular Disease Measures aims to promote the prevention of stroke, heart disease, and other CVDs while advancing the development of a system that provides rapid and appropriate treatment to extend healthy life expectancies and reduce the financial burdens of medical treatment and long-term care. After this law came into effect, the Government took further action by approving the Basic Plan to Promote Cardiovascular Disease Control Programs by Cabinet Decision in October 2020.

Although a basic foundation has been established for the further advancement of CVD measures in Japan, the Basic Act and Plan only outline general principles and goals. Discussions must be held on what specific actions the national Government and each prefecture should take next.

In light of these circumstances, starting this fiscal year, we launched a three-year project to promote CVD control and to identify and propose measures needed to achieve national health equity in CVD control titled, “Sharing Best Practices in CVD Control from Local Communities for National Health Equity.” In the first fiscal year of this project, which will focus on the field of heart disease, we will gather an advisory board of opinion leaders and representatives of related organizations from industry, Government, academia, and civil society. Under their expert guidance, we will work to further advance CVD control by examining necessary measures and issuing recommendations for achieving national equity in Japan’s CVD countermeasures.

At the first advisory board meeting, opinion leaders and representatives of related organizations from industry, Government, academia, and civil society gathered to share and discuss the need for progress in cardiovascular disease measures, current issues, and good practices and lessons learned from the local communities.

For more information, please refer to the PDF.

■ Meeting details
Date and time: Wednesday, September 29, 2021; from 16:00 to 18:00
Venue: Online using the Zoom conferencing system
Host: Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI)

■ Advisory board members:
Mitsuaki Isobe (Director, Sakakibara Heart Institute, Japan Research Promotion Society for Cardiovascular Diseases)
Satoshi Imamura (Vice President, Japan Medical Association)
Hiroaki Kitaoka (Professor, Department of Cardiology and Geriatrics, Kochi University)
Tomohiro Kuroda (Professor, Department of Medical Informatics, Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University)
Issei Komuro (Professor, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo)
Katsunori Kondo (Professor, Center for Preventive Medicinal Science, Chiba University)
Ryozo Nagai (President, Jichi University)
Yoko M. Nakao (Director, Registry Promotion Office, Department of Medical and Health Information Management, Open Innovation Center, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center)
Kazuhiro Hara (Specially Appointed Professor, Seto Inland Sea Regional Research Center, Kagawa University)
Kenichi Hirata (Professor, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe University)
Hitoshi Fukuhara (Representative Director, Heart Valve Voice)
Yoichi Hoshikawa (Medical Coordination Officer, Healthcare and Welfare Department, Kagawa Prefectural Government)
Koji Maemura (Professor, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University)
Shinsuke Muto (Clinical Professor, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University)
Takashi Fujii (Vice Chairman, System Council, Nagasaki Regional Healthcare Collaboration Network; Vice Chairman, Nagasaki Prefecture Medical Association)
Yoshio Yazaki (President, Japan Research Promotion Society For Cardiovascular Diseases)