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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
African health ministers have endorsed a new strategy known as PEN-PLUS, designed to boost access to the diagnosis, treatment and care for severe non-communicable diseases.
The health ministers, at the 72th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa in Lomé, Togo, said the strategy was designed to address severe non-communicable diseases at first-level referral health facilities.
They added that the strategy will build on existing WHO initiatives for integrated detection, diagnosis, treatment, and care of non-communicable diseases in Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities.
They also confirmed that the strategy has shown promising results in Liberia, Malawi, and Rwanda, with a significant increase in the number of patients accessing treatment for severe noncommunicable diseases and, a concomitant improvement in outcomes for these patients.
WHO in a statement explained that non-communicable diseases account for most of the out-of-pocket spending of patients in Africa and due to their chronic nature often lead to catastrophic health expenditures.
It predicted that offering non-communicable disease care as a package of services available at primary and district health facilities will enable patients find their expenses decreased as they spend less money on transportation, lodging in cities and less time in commuting to the health facilities.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, in her remarks, explained that the strategy supports building the capacity of district hospitals and other first-level referral facilities to diagnose and manage severe non-communicable diseases early, resulting in fewer deaths.
She said that severe non-communicable diseases are those chronic conditions that lead to high levels of disability and death among children, adolescents and young adults if left undiagnosed or untreated.
“In the worst cases patients live no longer than a year after diagnosis. In Africa, the most prevalent severe non-communicable diseases include sickle cell disease, type 1 and insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes, rheumatic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, severe hypertension and moderate to severe and persistent asthma.
“Africa is grappling with an increasingly hefty burden of chronic diseases whose severe forms are costing precious lives that could be saved with early diagnosis and care. The newly adopted strategy is pivotal in placing effective care within the reach of patients and marks a major step in improving the health and wellbeing of millions of people in the region.”
She stated that in most parts of Africa, severe non-communicable diseases are treated at tertiary health facilities, which are mostly in large cities. “This exacerbates health inequities, as it puts care beyond the reach of most rural, peri-urban and lower-income patients, who can often only easily access district hospitals and local health centres. These facilities lack the capacity and resources to effectively manage severe noncommunicable diseases.
“The strategy, therefore, urges countries to institute standardized programmes to tackle chronic and severe non-communicable diseases by ensuring that essential medicines, technologies and diagnostics are available and accessible at district hospitals.”
