On World Heart Day, AstraZeneca and its partners are commemorating nine years of dedicated efforts in the battle against hypertension through the Healthy Heart Africa (HHA) program. Their mission is to reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the African continent.
Since its launch in 2014, the program has achieved remarkable milestones, including conducting over 38.5 million blood pressure screenings, diagnosing over 3.1 million individuals, and training more than 10,600 healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, community health volunteers, and pharmacists. These healthcare workers have been equipped to provide education, awareness, screening, and treatment services. Additionally, the program has activated over 1,300 healthcare facilities to offer hypertension services.
To mark the program’s nine-year journey, AstraZeneca and its collaborators are hosting a webinar to reflect on their accomplishments and discuss strategies for addressing the escalating burden of CVDs and NCDs in Africa. The discussion will emphasize the role of public-private partnerships in strengthening primary healthcare, drawing insights from the HHA program.
The panel of experts will include representatives from Ministries of Health in participating countries and program partners such as PATH, Population Services International (PSI), Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), African Christian Health Associations Platform (ACHAP), and Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau (UPMB).
Dr. Yvette Kisaka, Programs, Division of NCD prevention and control, Ministry of Health Kenya, expressed the importance of strengthening health systems to achieve Universal Health Coverage and commended the Healthy Heart Africa program for its pivotal role in combating cardiovascular diseases in Kenya.
Healthy Heart Africa remains steadfast in its mission to combat hypertension and the growing burden of CVDs and NCDs in Africa. The program aims to reach 10 million people with elevated blood pressure by 2025, with over 7.7 million readings already recorded.
HHA’s approach involves promoting local health system resilience by addressing barriers to accessing care, increasing awareness of hypertension symptoms and risks, advocating healthy lifestyle choices, and training healthcare providers to deliver care at lower levels of the healthcare system. It also offers health screenings and facilitates access to treatment and disease management.
In less than a decade, Healthy Heart Africa has implemented and expanded a multi-stakeholder model to enhance health outcomes equitably across the continent. Starting in Kenya in 2014, the program has expanded to Ethiopia, Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Zanzibar. HHA supports sustainable models by collaborating with local health systems and integrating its approach into existing healthcare structures.
Qutaiba Al Manaseer, Senior Director of Corporate Affairs for the Middle East & Africa Region at AstraZeneca, emphasized the significance of public-private partnerships in building resilient local health systems. AstraZeneca remains committed to addressing hypertension and improving patient outcomes in collaboration with stakeholders.
According to the World Health Organization, hypertension affects one in three adults globally, with sub-Saharan Africa having the highest prevalence. By 2030, it is projected that 216.8 million adults in sub-Saharan Africa will have high blood pressure. In 2019, cardiovascular diseases accounted for over 1 million deaths in sub-Saharan Africa, comprising 5.4% of global CVD-related deaths and 13% of all deaths on the continent.
Healthy Heart Africa (HHA) is AstraZeneca’s innovative program dedicated to combatting hypertension (high blood pressure) and the increasing burden of cardiovascular disease (CVDs) in Africa. HHA supports local health systems by raising awareness of hypertension symptoms and risks, providing education, screening, affordable treatment where applicable, and disease management. The program is active in both East and West Africa. For more information, please visit AstraZeneca Healthy Heart Africa.
AstraZeneca is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines in oncology, rare diseases, and biopharmaceuticals, including cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic conditions.
