- In 2019, more than one million deaths were due to cardiovascular diseases in sub-Saharan Africa.
- This constituted 5.4 per cent of all global CVD-related deaths and 13 per cent of all deaths in Africa.
Image: ROBERT OMOLLO
Health experts have reiterated the need for collaborations to tackle the burden of non-communicable and cardiovascular diseases.
This is even as the World Health Organisation warned that the number of adults suffering from high blood pressure in sub-Saharan Africa is projected to reach 216.8 million by 2030.
According to the WHO, hypertension affects one in three adults worldwide and Africa has the highest prevalence of hypertension in any region.
In 2019, more than one million deaths were due to cardiovascular diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, which constituted 5.4 per cent of all global CVD-related deaths and 13 per cent of all deaths in Africa.
In a renewed effort to tackle the disease, AstraZeneca, a global biopharmaceutical company has called for public-private partnerships in delivering sustainable solutions to strengthen health systems in Kenya.
The company has further reaffirmed its commitment to collaborate with the Ministry of Health to and other stakeholders in the country to tackle the rising burden of Non-communicable diseases.
For instance, through the Healthy Heart Africa programme, the company is committed to tackling hypertension and the increasing burden of cardiovascular disease.
The ambition to reach 10 million people with elevated blood pressure across Africa including in Kenya by 2025.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a general term that describes a disease of the heart or blood vessels.
Since its inception in 2014, the programme has conducted over 38.5 million blood pressure screenings, diagnosed over 3.1 million people and trained over 10,600 healthcare workers.
These include doctors, nurses, community health volunteers and pharmacists to provide education and awareness, screening and treatment services.
It has also activated over 1,300 healthcare facilities to provide hypertension services.
According to Programmes Lead, Division of NCD Prevention and Control at the Ministry of Health Yvette Kisaka, the Healthy Heart Africa programme has been pivotal in the fight against cardiovascular disease in Kenya.
“We need to strengthen health systems to achieve Universal Health Coverage, as envisioned by Sustainable Development Goal 3 on good health and wellbeing,” Kisaka said.
“That is why together with partners, we are developing strategies such as the National Guidelines for the Management of Cardiovascular Diseases.”
Healthy Heart Africa programme is committed to tackling hypertension and the rising burden of CVDs and NCDs in Africa.
The programme is on track to achieve its ambition of reaching 10 million people with elevated blood pressure by 2025, with 7.7 million readings recorded thus far.
HHA supports local health system resilience by addressing the barriers that prevent access to care by increasing awareness of the symptoms and risks of hypertension and educating around healthy lifestyle choices.
It also offers training for providers and driving care to lower levels of the healthcare system, offering health screening and access to treatment and disease management.
“Healthy Heart Africa demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in delivering sustainable solutions that strengthen the resilience of local health systems,” Qutaiba Al Manaseer said.
Manaseer is the Senior Director of Corporate Affairs for the Middle East and Africa Region at AstraZeneca.
“We will continue collaborating with stakeholders to tackle the silent killer that is hypertension and to improve patient outcomes,” Manaseer added.
The most important behavioural risk factors of heart disease and stroke are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol.
The effects of behavioural risk factors may show up in individuals as raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, raised blood lipids, and overweight and obesity.