Policy

The clinics at Mfou and Djoum district hospitals arose from years of collaboration driven by Cameroon’s Ministry of Health and the WHO Regional Office for Africa, with boosts from an informal coalition of health officials in Francophone countries.

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.

The Kenya Ministry of Health, NCD Alliance Kenya, NCDI Poverty Network, and partners convened for Kenya’s inaugural National NCD Conference, which featured the launch of a PEN-Plus National Operational Plan.

The October tour showed the strong work of a relatively young PEN-Plus program that is poised for growth, reflecting the adaptability of the integrated model of care for noncommunicable diseases.

The same week that global policy talks on noncommunicable diseases were taking place at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, health leaders in Abuja, Nigeria, were marking progress in being able to provide care for people living with severe, chronic NCDs through PEN-Plus.

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.

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.

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.”

The second International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa positioned Nigeria as a leading advocate for PEN-Plus across the African continent, media coverage of the July conference showed.

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.

Dr. Ana Mocumbi, co-chair of the NCDI Poverty Network, recently received the Republic of Mozambique’s Medal of Merit for Science and Technology. The honor recognizes her outstanding contributions to science, technology, and innovation in Mozambique.

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.

On behalf of the NCDI Poverty Network, Rachel Gasana, senior director of advancement, testified at the multistakeholder hearing on noncommunicable diseases, held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The Network was one of 70 organizations selected to deliver testimonies as a prelude to the United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs in September.

In just the past several months, the NCDI Poverty Network has grown from 23 partner countries to 27, with the most recent additions being Eswatini, Lesotho, Niger, and Somaliland.

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.

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.

The WHO Regional Office for Africa recently published a landmark report that details the impact and momentum of the PEN-Plus model, providing a valuable tool for advocacy and information about integrated care for people living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases.

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.