Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are a major public health challenge and account for a quarter of all deaths in the WHO South-East Asia Region. The Seventy-sixth Regional Committee endorsed the initiative "SEAHEARTS: Accelerating Prevention and Control of Cardiovascular Diseases in the South-East Asia Region” to address the challenge in a time-bound manner.

The SEAHEARTS initiative aims to bring together tobacco control, salt reduction, and elimination of trans-fatty acids along with improved hypertension and diabetes coverage and control through primary health care. The SEAHEARTS initiative has set seven milestones with time-bound commitments to reduce CVD risk factors and strengthen and reorient health systems to add to the momentum for CVD control in the Region.