Abstract
COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic on March 11 2020, with dramatic consequences on the way we live. The rigours of lockdown and physical distancing posed major challenges to society, and specifically to healthcare systems. In the initial focus on acute COVID-19 treatment, management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) was severely scaled down, and patients suffering from NCDs were given low priority. Appointments were postponed or cancelled due to re-allocation of healthcare personnel to tasks related to managing COVID-19.