To support the country’s response to epidemics of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), the Government of Thailand today welcomed a high-level delegation representing the United Nations Interagency Task Force (UNIATF) on NCDs, led by World Health Organization (WHO) Deputy Director-General Dr Soumya Swaminathan.“Thailand understands that NCDs pose a major threat to public health and development and must be tackled tactically and urgently,” said Dr Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, Minister of Public Health, when meeting the UNIATF mission.Today, NCDs, primarily cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic lung diseases, account for 71% of deaths in Thailand , or 400 000 people, while the probability of dying prematurely (between the ages 30