With the burden of cardiovascular disease, mental and neurological disorders and diabetes rising in the region, African health ministers have endorsed a new strategy to boost access to the diagnosis, treatment and care of severe non-communicable diseases.
Severe non-communicable diseases are those chronic conditions that lead to high levels of disability and death among children, adolescents and young adults if left undiagnosed or untreated. In Africa, the most prevalent severe non-communicable diseases include sickle cell disease, type 1 and insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes, rheumatic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, severe hypertension and moderate to severe and persistent asthma.
In most parts of Africa, severe non-communicable diseases are treated at tertiary health facilities, which are mostly in large cities. This exacerbates health inequities, as it puts care beyond the reach of most rural, peri-urban and lower-income patients, who can often only easily access district hospitals and local health centres. These facilities lack the capacity and resources to effectively manage severe non-communicable diseases.
Governments should also ensure that people seeking care in private hospitals can access services for severe non-communicable diseases.