News and Stories
Lancet Commentary Highlights Feasibility of Decentralizing Care for Severe, Chronic NCDs
A commentary published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology in early May showcases the power of PEN-Plus and the PEN-Plus Partnership to bring lifesaving care for severe, chronic NCDs to first-level hospitals in poor, rural areas of lower-income countries.
Apoorva Gomber Delivers Impassioned Plea at UN Hearing
“Where a child lives should not determine whether a child lives,” declared Dr. Apoorva Gomber, associate advocacy director for the NCDI Poverty Network. “And yet children with type 1 diabetes in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa often die within a year of diagnosis. This reality is morally unconscionable.”
What Women Want: Rwanda Study Highlights Women’s Top Health Concerns
Access to care for back pain, food insecurity, and abnormal vaginal bleeding. Overcoming the barriers to care posed by the high costs of transportation to clinic and missing work. Care delivered in a way that respects both dignity and privacy. Those were some of the top healthcare priorities that women in rural Rwanda identified in an International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics study.
Cambodia NCDI Poverty Commission Meets for Priority-Setting Workshop
The Cambodia NCDI Poverty Commission members took a big step in March 2023 when they reviewed key findings of the country’s situation analysis and conducting a workshop to form recommendations on which noncommunicable conditions and interventions to prioritize based on burden, severity, and equity.
‘Help for Life and Health for All’
“Help for life and health for all!” wrote Dr. Giacamo Marro of Doctors with Africa CUAMM on the Italian NGO’s blog. “With this message of hope and commitment, chosen by the health personnel, the PEN-Plus clinic for chronic non-communicable diseases at the government hospital in Pujehun was officially opened.”
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.
Type 1 Diabetes Champion: Paladie’s Story
“Much of my outreach work is focused on diabetes education because it’s important to eradicate the many misunderstandings about the condition. When I get in front of people, the first thing I say is that I’m living with type 1 diabetes. My energy and enthusiasm silence the voices that said I would die. People who live with type 1 diabetes and other severe noncommunicable diseases are no different from anyone else.“
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 and WHO/AFRO Teams Meet to Plan for PEN-Plus Implementation
Momentum has continued since the 47 member states of the African Region of the World Health Organization adopted the regional PEN-Plus strategy to address severe noncommunicable diseases at first-level referral health facilities.
Finding My Purpose in Health Advocacy: Anu Gomanju’s Rheumatic Heart Disease Story
“Becoming a health advocate and sharing my experience with the world has answered the questions that have plagued me since I was diagnosed as a child: Why do I have rheumatic heart disease? Why do I have to depend on medicine? What is the purpose in my life? I have found my purpose in health advocacy.”
Clinical Training Helps Mozambique Prepares to Open First PEN-Plus Clinic
As Mozambique prepares to open its first PEN-Plus clinic in Nhamatanda, NCDI Poverty Network Co-Chair Dr. Ana Mocumbi, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane Chair of Medicine Dr. Sam Patel, and Network PEN-Plus Regional Technical Advisor Dr. Jorge Sixpence led training sessions for four days in December. Twenty five healthcare professionals including physicians, general medicine technicians, nutritionists, and data managers attended the training.
Network and Partners in Health Host PEN-Plus Side Event at Africa Public Health Conference
The NCDI Poverty Network and Partners in Health hosted a side event titled “Caring for People Living with Severe Chronic NCDs: Practical Lessons Learned from Early PEN-Plus Initiatives” on 14 December at the 2nd International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA) in Kigali, Rwanda.
Master Trainer Leads Echocardiography Training for PEN-Plus Providers in Malawi
As part of Malawi’s efforts to scale up PEN-Plus nationally, clinical officers and nurses from two expansion sites in Salima and Karonga recently completed two weeks of echocardiography training at the PEN-Plus training site and clinics established in Neno by the Ministry of Health and Partners In Health Malawi.
From Patient to Advocate: The Story of Eunice Owino, Sickle Cell Warrior
“We’re called sickle cell warriors because we’re fighters,” says Eunice Owino, a sickle cell warrior from Kenya. “Even though we experience excruciating bouts of pain, we can overcome.”
Nigeria Commission Reviews Key Findings and Recommendations
The Nigeria NCDI Poverty Commission met for the fourth time on 9 November.
Bangladesh NCDI Poverty Commission Holds First Meeting
The Bangladesh NCDI Poverty Commission held its first meeting on 26 October at the Directorate General of Medical Education in Dhaka, increasing the number of countries participating in the NCDI Poverty Network to 22.
WHO/AFRO Regional NCD Meeting Includes PEN-Plus
Following the adoption of the PEN-Plus strategy to address severe NCDs at first-level referral health facilities by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO), PEN-Plus and the NCDI Poverty Network were agenda items at the Regional Meeting of WHO staff responsible for the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
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.
Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity Celebrates Inaugural Symposium
The Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity (CIS) hosted its inaugural symposium on Thursday, 10 November 2022 at the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School (HMS).
PEN-Plus on the Agenda at WAHO Regional Review Meeting
Following the adoption of the PEN-Plus strategy to address severe NCDs at first-level referral health facilities by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO), the West African Health Organization (WAHO) hosted a three-day regional review meeting on the WHO Package of Essential NCD Interventions for Primary Health Care (WHO PEN) that included a presentation on PEN-Plus and the NCDI Poverty Network. Participants met in Cape Verde between 14-16 September 2022.