THE government has expressed commitment to continue collaborating with development partners to scale up PEN-Plus strategy to dispensary level to combat severe non-communicable diseases.

PEN-Plus is an integrated care delivery strategy focused on increasing accessibility and quality of chronic care services for severe NCDs such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatic heart disease and sickle cell anaemia.

Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said this in Dar es Salaam yesterday when officially opening the first International Conference on Pen-Plus in Africa (ICPPA) 2024.

The conference brought together 300 health stakeholders from the continent and abroad under the theme ‘Prioritizing People-Centred Approach to Chronic and Severe NCDs- type 1 diabetes, Sickle Cell and Childhood Heart Diseases.’

Mwalimu said that currently, NCDs contribute 70 percent of cardiovascular and kidney diseases in the country, adding that 9 percent of the population suffer from diabetes and 15 percent from hypertension.

“Tanzania is committed to doing more in combating NCDs which have significantly increased, causing deaths, disability and poverty,” she said.

Mwalimu said that combating NDCs needs collaboration from all stakeholders, pledging to further strengthen collaboration to reach the target.

She pointed out that bad health choices and sedentary lifestyle are the leading factors contributing to NCDs apart from accidents and lack of exercise.

According to Mwalimu, the global target is to reduce NCD by 70 percent by 2030.

Dr Charles Sagoe-Moses, the World Health Organisation (WHO) country representative, said that the first ICPPA provides a pivotal moment to advance lifesaving care for people living with severe NCDs in rural Sub-Saharan Africa.

“We are at a critical inflection point in global health equity, with a real opportunity to fundamentally improve access to lifesaving care for people living with severe NCDs,” he said.

He said African countries must commit to PEN-Plus as the proven system for delivering lifesaving care to people living with severe NCDs in rural Sub-Saharan Africa.

He said PEN-Plus initiative trains and equips healthcare providers to deliver medical services, including diagnosis, symptoms management and psychosocial support across a range of severe NCDs.

He said currently, the model focuses primarily on several sentinel PEN-Plus conditions- type1 diabetes, sickle cell anaemia and rheumatic and congenital heart disease.

 Dr Segoe-Moses said 17 African countries have already initiated PEN-Plus and are in the implementation phase.

He said Rwanda has already implemented PEN-Plus nationwide and Malawi working towards nationwide implementation.