News and Stories
Ethiopia Launches PEN-Plus National Operating Plan
The NCDI Poverty Network joined with the Government of Ethiopia, the Mathiwos Wondu Foundation, the World Health Organization, and other partners in a recent ceremony to launch Ethiopia’s PEN-Plus National Operational Plan, marking another major milestone for the growth of PEN-Plus in sub-Saharan Africa.
At ISPAD, PEN-Plus Puts Type 1 Diabetes ‘In the First Sentence’ of Care Delivery
The PEN-Plus model of care is not only improving treatment and accessibility for people living with type 1 diabetes, but it’s also placing an emphasis on the disease that had not previously existed in some parts of the world, Dr. Gene Bukhman said during the recent International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes conference, held in Montreal.
‘I Am a Warrior’: PEN-Plus Camp Shows the Power of Peer Support for Young People Living with Severe NCDs
“I am a warrior. I am brave. I am triumphant.” With that mantra, participants in Camp Tuli Bonse—an integrated camp for young people living in Zambia with type 1 diabetes or sickle cell disease—learned how a sense of unity can confer benefits beyond physical health.
Making the Case for Inclusion of Children Ahead of the United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs
A commentary authored by Network and UNICEF leaders and published in August by The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health makes the case for better care for children and adolescents living with severe, chronic NCDs in settings of extreme poverty, a case that’s also reflected in the Network’s position statement ahead of the United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs in September.
Republic of Somaliland Joins the Network
In a launch event in late July, the Republic of Somaliland announced a partnership with the NCDI Poverty Network to support people living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases through PEN-Plus. In a statement, the Ministry of Health Development of the Republic of Somaliland noted the partnership “marks a significant step forward in strengthening the ministry’s efforts to improve health services, particularly in addressing noncommunicable diseases.”
Health Leaders Commit to Accelerating PEN-Plus in Africa
At the second International Conference for PEN-Plus in Africa, recently held in Abuja, health leaders, policymakers, and development partners across Africa renewed their commitment to an accelerated implementation of the PEN-Plus to significantly expand access to care for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases.
Study Shows Medicine and Equipment Gaps in Advance of PEN-Plus
A newly published study found that only two of 16 health facilities assessed in nine lower-income countries had all the functional equipment needed to diagnose and manage care for people living with type 1 diabetes. Two of the facilities had none of the necessary equipment.
Network Advocates for Expansion of WHO’s Essential Medicines List
The NCDI Poverty Network has submitted proposals to the World Health Organization suggesting it add analogue insulins and a triple fixed-dose antihypertensive medicine combination to its Model List of Essential Medicines. The Network has also proposed that WHO reclassify hemoglobinopathies to shine more of a spotlight on sickle cell disease and thalassemias.
‘A Solution That Works’: PEN-Plus Praised at the Global NCDA Forum
The NCDI Poverty Network’s recent week of advocacy in Rwanda included visits to two hospitals, a conference with more than 700 attendees, a panel with four expert speakers, and one recurring theme: the recognition that PEN-Plus is an effective model for mobilizing action and financing to increase access to care for people living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases.
Health Officials from Francophone Countries See PEN-Plus Firsthand
A “game-changing” study tour of a PEN-Plus clinic in Sierra Leone introduced Ministry of Health officials from six other Francophone nations to the role integration can play in providing quality care for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
Springboard for Action
The PEN-Plus Partnership Strategic Plan (2025–2028) had its official launch at Springboard for Action, an event celebrating progress toward global access to care for people living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases. The NCDI Poverty Network hosted the event in New York City in September on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the U.N. General Assembly.
Strategic Plan Details Global Targets for 2028
On September 24, the Network officially published the PEN-Plus Partnership Strategic Plan (2025–2028). “It is our commitment, our testimony, and our witness to the collective progress of NCDI Poverty Network partners in delivering healthcare and hope to people in lower-income countries,” said Dr. Gene Bukhman, co-chair of the Network.
From Words to Action
The first International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa provided a platform for health experts, policymakers, civil society organization representatives, donors, people living with noncommunicable diseases, and community advocates to expedite political and financial backing for PEN-Plus.
Network Publishes Scoping Review of Sickle Cell Disease Care
NCDI Poverty Network researchers recently published a scoping review of models of care for people with sickle cell disease in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. Their findings confirmed the care limitations the Network has been seeking to overcome through the implementation of the PEN-Plus model.
Q&A: Center for Integration Science Aims to Break the Impasse on Global Health Equity
Type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and rheumatic and congenital heart disease. In the United States, if people with any of these diseases walk through a hospital’s doors, they can get treated. Their treatment is typically swift and, by and large, effective. Yet, in low-income nations, these conditions can be a death sentence. Dr. Gene Bukhman, a cardiologist and medical anthropologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the executive director of the Center for Integration Science, has long advocated for a new “science of integration” to advance global health equity.
Southern Africa Regional Hub Celebrates First Anniversary
The Maputo co-secretariat of the NCDI Poverty Network, based at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, hosted an event marking the first anniversary of the establishment of both the Southern Africa Regional Hub and the Maputo co-secretariat of the NCDI Poverty Network on 1 February. The event encouraged discussion on how the Hub can support countries in the region in implementing the PEN-Plus model.
Network Promotes PEN-Plus at ISPAD Conference
A team that included NCDI Poverty Network Steering Committee Co-Chair Gene Bukhman as well as Type 1 Diabetes and Global Health Equity Research Fellows Celina Trujillo and Apoorva Gomber traveled to Abu Dhabi to represent the Network and promote PEN-Plus at the 48th annual International Society of Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) Conference, 13-16 October.
PEN-Plus in Action Introduces a Global Partnership to Fight Severe, Chronic NCDs
More than 60 representatives of leading global health policy, technical, advocacy, and financing institutions and people living with NCDs gathered at UNICEF House in New York on September 15, 2022, to introduce the PEN-Plus Partnership, a major international initiative to address the global burden of severe NCDs and injuries that cause more than 500,000 avoidable deaths every year among children and young adults living in extreme poverty.
Network Promotes PEN-Plus at 4th Global Congress on Sickle Cell Disease
A team that included NCDI Poverty Network Co-Chair Dr. Gene Bukhman, Voices Advocacy Fellow Eunice Owino, and Advocacy & Training Associate Lauren Brown traveled to Paris in June to represent the Network and promote PEN-Plus at the 4th Global Congress on Sickle Cell Disease.
Network Co-Chairs Dr. Ana Mocumbi and Dr. Gene Bukhman Travel to Sofala Province Ahead of PEN-Plus Implementation in Mozambique
NCDI Poverty Network Co-Chair Dr. Ana Mocumbi and the Mozambique Co-Secretariat and Southern Africa Regional Hub team recently hosted NCDI Poverty Network Co-Chair Dr. Gene Bukhman and Director of Programs Dr. Emily Wroe for a three-day visit to the provinces of Maputo and Sofala as Mozambique prepares to implement PEN-Plus.