At the request of IMAXI Co-op, an international health cooperative, The New Times’ Senior Reporter, Edwin Musoni, Monday moderated a global debate on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) via twitter.

IMAXI Co-op is an international NGO registered in India, driven by volunteers living with life threatening diseases.

The debate dwelt on "the role of media in the fight against NCDs, do Global health need anthropologists?”

"It was an opportunity to bring together journalists (international and local), famous bloggers, researchers, policy and decision makers from around the world in one forum to debate how best the media can contribute to the fight against NCDs,” Musoni explained.

NCDs are medical conditions or diseases which are non-infectious but with a long duration and generally slow progression.

They include heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts, and more.

Musoni further said that some of the pertinent issues raised during the debate included packaging of information meant for the media, capacity building for journalists in developing countries and those responsible for NCDs.

The debate attracted over 350 people within 30 minutes.

Ends