Chronic disease management in the South-East Asia Region: a need to do more.

Chronic diseases account for a substantial proportion of deaths in the South-East Asia Region, ranging from 34% in Timor-Leste to 79% in Maldives. Fuelled by the epidemiological shift towards noncommunicable diseases, the burden of chronic conditions is steadily increasing. Care structures for chronic diseases in most of these countries focus only on certain conditions and are often oriented towards episodic illnesses. An opportunity exists for holistic, country-driven applications of the World Health Organization Innovative Care for Chronic Conditions framework to improve quality of care for chronic conditions in the region.