Public, private partnerships critical for improving access to healthcare

The COVID-19 pandemic and the growing burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases worldwide have pushed governments and stakeholders to explore new ways of improving access to healthcare and creating more resilient health systems.

In this effort, public-private partnerships (PPPs) have proved to be one of the best solutions to removing barriers and creating affordable and sustainable healthcare solutions.

In Africa, PPPs are contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the attainment of Universal Health Coverage.

The Healthy Heart Africa (HHA) programme supported by AstraZeneca has been mentioned as one of the best practices in helping to equip health systems for the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Launched in Uganda in May 2020, HHA programme is addressing hypertension and the increasing burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in East and West Africa.

The programme, which is currently active in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and Ghana, is working with local governments and partners to increase access to hypertension services.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), NCDs are steadily increasing in prevalence in the African region, and they are predicted to overtake communicable diseases by the year 2030.

Over time, they have grown to become the leading cause of death worldwide and sharpened the focus on the growing need to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

During the ongoing pandemic, NCDs and their risk factors are aggravating the susceptibility to COVID-19 infection and increasing the likelihood of worse outcomes for patients.

Working with local partners, the HHA programme is strengthening health systems by integrating blood pressure screening and hypertension treatment into routine care. 

“Healthy Heart Africa contributes to sustainable healthcare in Africa through education and by raising awareness of cardiovascular diseases, specifically hypertension. 

Its late detection, as with other NCDs, puts pressure on health systems and results in high costs of treatments, which have both resulted in devastating social-economic impacts on individuals,” Dr Allan Mackenzie, Associate Director, Global Sustainability - Access to Healthcare, Government Affairs, at AstraZeneca, said.

HHA also contributes to data collection mechanisms that can help inform decisions in policymaking and their implementation.

“At the moment, lack of data is one of the major challenges facing access to hypertension care in Africa,” Mackenzie said.

Disease prevention is another key pillar in efforts to build sustainable health systems.

Emerging strategies are focused on youth as two-thirds of early deaths registered in adults have been associated with NCD risk behaviours that first appear in adolescence.

AstraZaneca also implements the Young Health Programme (YHP) an NCD prevention initiative for young people aged 10 to 24 in Africa and other parts of the world.

The partnership programme focuses on under-resourced areas of the world by providing education, advocacy, research and mentorship to this age group, positioning them to make empowered decisions about their health.

During the pandemic, the programme is teaching youth how to maintain healthy lifestyle choices even while observing recommended safety measures.