Increasing accessibility of integrated diabetes and hypertension services in Ethiopia

Objectives

The project seeks to roll out a large scale national NCD programme across all regions of Ethiopia based on the WHO primary health care service decentralisation model, including the WHO PEN and HEARTS Initiatives.

The projects aims to:
• Enhance the technical skills of primary healthcare professionals to deliver high-quality screening, diagnosis, treatment, and care for diabetes mellitus and hypertension (HTN), ensuring patients receive timely and effective interventions.
• Improve coordination of national NCD response through establishment of steering committee of all key national stakeholders, strengthening of national Technical Working Group (TWG) on NCDs and continuous coordination meetings by key stakeholders in all regions of Ethiopia respectively.
• Upgrade and streamline NCD data recording and reporting systems within selected healthcare facilities, promoting accurate tracking, informed decision-making, and improved patient outcomes.
• Strengthen supply chain management to guarantee the uninterrupted availability of essential diabetes and hypertension medications, diagnostic supplies, and equipment at all project sites.
• Empower individuals living with diabetes in Ethiopia area by providing comprehensive self-management education, resources, and ongoing support to foster independence and improved health outcomes.

Approach

The diabetes and hypertension care service in Ethiopia faces major hurdles, including late diagnosis after complications arise, poor patient follow-up, skill gaps among healthcare staff, and limited diagnostic resources. Insufficient focus from local health structures and low public awareness further contribute to high rates of preventable complications and premature deaths.

This project, aligned with the national NCD strategy, will be delivered collaboratively by Ethiopia Diabetes Association, (EDA), the Federal Ministry of Health (MOH), and relevant stakeholder, including Resolve to Save Lives. It aims to improve healthcare worker capacity and community outcomes by implementing 45 targeted activities across 80 hospitals and 240 health centres, with the goal of reducing disease impact and achieving five key outcomes.

Expected results

•Conduct comprehensive training for various healthcare professionals, including internists, nurses, physicians, midwives, health extension workers, pharmacists, HIT staff, and peer educators, on diabetes and hypertension.
• Provided self-management education to over 424,800 people with diabetes and 1,680,000 people living with hypertension
• Distributed specialised manuals and protocols for nurses, physicians, midwives, and health extension workers to support diabetes and NCD management.
• Developed and disseminated thousands of guidelines, job aids, SBCC materials, and spot messages, reaching over 10 million people through 300 campaigns.
• Supplied essential data collection tools and scaled up a digital diabetes/hypertension management system across 100 hospitals and 300 health centres.