Train 130 HCPs in diabetes and hypertension care and establish six multidisciplinary diabetic and hypertension clinics.Screen 25,000 adults for diabetes and hypertension and provide evidence-based follow-up care for those detected.Promote healthy lifestyles. Provide quality data on diabetes and hypertension for decision making and formulation of policies.
This project takes place in the Western Area Rural and Western Area Urban Districts of Freetown where 37% of Sierra Leoneans reside mostly in slums. The double burden of communicable diseases and NCDs is high with attendant risks of undiagnosed and late presentation of diabetes and hypertension. The partner will develop locally specific training curricula, guidelines, protocols/algorithms and patient IEC materials for diabetes and hypertension relevant to the context of Sierra Leone. Multidisciplinary teams of 130 health care providers consisting of doctors, nurses, nutritionists, health educators, exercise physiologists and CHWs. Their capacity will be developed in order to recognize diabetes and initiate care promptly, as well as basic prevention, treatment strategies and some advanced diabetes and hypertension care. Six existing Public Health Facilities will be identified in the two districts for program implementation. Communicable disease services utilised primarily for provision of short term, acute illness care will be reorganised to incorporate care of chronic diabetes and hypertension, providing robust, holistic patient management. Opportunistic screening for diabetes and hypertension in all consenting adults ≥ 30 years of age attending the facility will be carried out to recruit patients into the programme.Dedicated, multidisciplinary, weekly NCD diabetes and hypertension clinics will be established where cardiometabolic management, nutrition, lifestyle counselling, exercise therapy, foot care, eye examination, self-care skills acquisition through home-monitoring, follow-up visits, registers and two-way referral systems will occur. Community participation and intervention through bimonthly diabetes and hypertension screening camps, health education and health promotion to increase physical activities and consumption of fruits and vegetables will take place. Establishment of self-support diabetes and hypertension clubs will help with programme continuity. Bimonthly mass media awareness raising campaigns, health promotion and information dissemination through phone-in programmes will help reach the entire community.
- 130 HCPs trained on diabetes and hypertension care (20 doctors, 30 nurses, 80 CHWs and medical students).- 6 diabetes and hypertension clinics established.- 5 diabetes and hypertension screening camps conducted.- 18,039 people screened for diabetes and hypertension.- 647 people with diabetes and 7,042 with hypertension receive access to improved care.- 575,000 people reached during awareness campaigns.- Guidelines and protocol for basic and advanced diabetic and hypertensive patients developed and tested.