African health ministers across the continent have approved a new strategy for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of noncommunicable diseases.
At the 72nd session of the UN World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa in Lome, Togo, the health ministers developed a strategy known as PEN-PLUS.
PEN-PLUS seeks to address severe noncommunicable diseases at first-level referral health facilities. It would also support the building of district hospitals and other first-level referral facilities to handle noncommunicable diseases.
Serious noncommunicable diseases can lead to disability and death among children and young adults. In some cases, patients live no longer than a year after being diagnosed.
Sickle cell disease, type 1 and insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes, cardiomyopathy, rheumatic heart disease, severe hypertension, and asthma in some cases are the most widespread noncommunicable diseases in Africa.
“Africa is grappling with an increasingly hefty burden of chronic disease whose severe forms are costing precious lives that could be saved with early diagnosis and care,” Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa noted in a statement.
The director added that the strategy was effective care within reach of patients and “marks a major step in improving the health and wellbeing of millions of people in the region.”
“This exacerbates health inequities as it puts care beyond the reach of most rural, peri-urban, and lower-income patients. Moreover, these urban facilities often lack the capacity and resources to effectively manage severe noncommunicable diseases,” Ms. Moeti explained. “The new strategy urges countries to institute standardised programmes to tackle chronic and severe non-communicable diseases by ensuring that essential medicines, technologies, and diagnostics are available and accessible at district hospitals.”
A 2019 survey by WHO showed that only 36 percent of countries in Africa reported having essential medicines for the treatment of noncommunicable diseases in public hospitals. The survey charged governments to ensure that people seeking medical care in private hospitals could access medical services for severe non-communicable diseases.
The PEN-PLUS strategy suggests that countries bolster the protocols for the prevention, care, and treatment of chronic non-communicable diseases through the training and strengthening of health workers’ skills and knowledge.
It builds on existing WHO initiatives for integrated detection, diagnosis, treatment, and care of noncommunicable diseases in primary healthcare facilities and a meaningful improvement in outcomes for these patients.
PEN-PLUS strategy has shown promising results in Malawi, Rwanda, and Liberia with significant growth in the number of patients accessing treatment for severe non-communicable diseases.
