News and Stories


African Health Leaders Call for a Greater Investment in Integrated Models of Care

African Health Leaders Call for a Greater Investment in Integrated Models of Care

Dr. Ana Mocumbi, co-chair of the NCDI Poverty Network, represented PEN-Plus at a high-level side event during the recent 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa. There delegates emphasized the urgent need for equitable access to prevention, screening, treatment, and rehabilitation across the continuum of care for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases.

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Open for Care: Zambia Cuts the Ribbon on Fourth and Fifth PEN-Plus Clinics

Open for Care: Zambia Cuts the Ribbon on Fourth and Fifth PEN-Plus Clinics

Zambia health officials recently opened the country’s fourth and fifth PEN-Plus clinics, marking both occasions within weeks of launching the country’s national operating plan for the care of people living with severe noncommunicable diseases. Both new clinics have received support from the Scottish Government.

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Health Leaders Commit to Accelerating PEN-Plus in Africa

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.

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Zambia Launches National Operational Plan

Zambia Launches National Operational Plan

Zambia health officials recently took a significant step forward in PEN-Plus implementation with the launch of a national operational plan to support and expand care for people living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases. The Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, or CIDRZ, a PEN-Plus implementing partner working with the NCDI Poverty Network, hosted a launch event in Lusaka.

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Webinar Series Solidifies PEN-Plus Collaboration Among Francophone Countries

Webinar Series Solidifies PEN-Plus Collaboration Among Francophone Countries

Health officials from several French-speaking countries in western and central Africa have begun meeting in a new webinar series to share—in French—their challenges and successes in expanding care for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases. The new series solidifies a groundbreaking collaboration that began with a February study tour in Sierra Leone.

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Partners In Health Details a PEN-Plus Clinic Opening in Sierra Leone

Partners In Health Details a PEN-Plus Clinic Opening in Sierra Leone

An audience of patients, clinicians, Ministry of Health officials, and community members recently gathered to celebrate a historic milestone for Sierra Leone: the launch of a purpose-built PEN-Plus clinic at Koidu Government Hospital. Partners In Health, the implementing partner for PEN-Plus in Koidu, has published an account of the clinic’s services.

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Zimbabwe Finalizes National Operational Plan for PEN-Plus
Network in Action Briefs Paula Byron Network in Action Briefs Paula Byron

Zimbabwe Finalizes National Operational Plan for PEN-Plus

Zimbabwe recently finalized its national operational plan for PEN-Plus, becoming the first country to do so among the dozen nations that began implementing PEN-Plus in 2022–23. “This plan shows the great commitment of Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and its supporting partners to take the lessons learned from its initial experience with PEN-Plus to the next level,” said Dr. Neil Gupta, senior director of policy for the NCDI Poverty Network.

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Network Advocates for Expansion of WHO’s Essential Medicines List
Network in Action Briefs Paula Byron Network in Action Briefs Paula Byron

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.

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The Missing Pieces: The Network Publishes a Statement on the Global NCD Agenda
Network in Action Briefs Paula Byron Network in Action Briefs Paula Byron

The Missing Pieces: The Network Publishes a Statement on the Global NCD Agenda

The NCDI Poverty Network recently published a position statement that identifies the crucial pieces—and populations—missing from the global NCD agenda. With this statement, the Network seeks to inform policy discussions in the lead-up to the Fourth United Nations High-Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, slated for September.

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‘A Solution That Works’: PEN-Plus Praised at the Global NCDA Forum
Mike Lawrence Mike Lawrence

‘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.

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Health Officials from Francophone Countries See PEN-Plus Firsthand
Mike Lawrence Mike Lawrence

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.

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