active
ACTIVE SINCE: 2014

Healthy Heart Africa

The program is committed to tackling hypertension and the increasing burden of cardiovascular disease, with the ambition to reach 10 million people with elevated blood pressure across Africa by 2025.
SGDS CONTRIBUTING TO:
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MEMBER COMPANIES:
Government 11
Bilateral development organizations 1
Local NGOs 4
Global NGOs 2
Objectives
  • Increasing awareness of the symptoms and risks of hypertension.
  • Training providers and driving care to the lower levels of the healthcare system.
  • Offering health education, screening, and reduced-cost treatment and control, as applicable.

There were approximately 130 million adults with high blood pressure in sub-Saharan Africa in 2000 and this figure is expected to rise to 216.8 million by 2030*. The nature of NCDs and their risk factors call for multi-sector involvement in prevention and control measures**. Yet, there is a lack of evidence of successful implementation of NCD interventions within the primary care setting in African countries.

Healthy Heart Africa (HHA)’s public/private partnership model integrates AstraZeneca’s approach to fighting hypertension into existing health platforms in African countries. The company partners with local stakeholders, including public, private and faith-based facilities, to integrate blood pressure screening and hypertension treatment into routine care, ultimately developing interventions that are optimised to address local challenges on a sustainable basis.

HHA was launched in Kenya in October 2014 in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and in support of its commitment to combat NCDs in line with the Kenya National Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, 2015-2020. AstraZeneca launched five different demonstration projects and tested different models to inform future scale-up both within Kenya and across the region more broadly.

In 2016, AstraZeneca and PEPFAR partnered to use hypertension as a stigma-free entry point to find and reach those who need HIV services by integrating hypertension services into existing HIV platforms. It expanded access to HIV/AIDS and hypertension services by offering them in an integrated manner at existing PEPFAR-supported HIV/AIDS sites.

*Dzudie A, et al. Roadmap to achieve 25% hypertension control in Africa by 2025. Cardiovasc J Afr. 2017;28(4):262-272. https://globalheartjournal.com/articles/10.1016/j.gheart.2017.06.001

**Steven van de Vijver et al. Status report on hypertension in Africa – Consultative review for the 6th Session of the African Union Conference of Ministers of Health on NCD’s. Pan African Medical Journal. 2013;16:38. [doi10.11604/pamj.2013.16.38.3100]

Quote
“The approach of HHA to leverage investments in other areas of health to reach people living with co – and multi-morbidities is a practical example of what is needed going forward in global health. Integrated services as part of strong Primary Health Care systems are the way forward to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and Universal Health Coverage. To combat non-communicable diseases, we partner with local stakeholders to create effective, sustainable interventions that address local challenges while leveraging our health programming experience.”
Helen McGuire
Global Programme Leader, Non-Communicable Diseases at PATH - HHA Implementing Partner
"Ghana Health Service has work with Healthy Heart Africa program to increase awareness and demand for hypertension services by maximizing opportunities for screening and linking patients to care. I wish to express our gratitude for the program’s support in improving hypertension service delivery in the Ashanti Region and to emphasize the need to be aware of the dangers of elevated blood pressure, and to seek help when needed.”
Dr Patrick Kuma-Oboagye
Director General of the Ghana Health Service
Results and milestones
  • Since launching in Kenya in 2014, the HHA program has expanded to Ethiopia in 2016, Tanzania in 2018, Ghana in 2019, Uganda in 2020 and Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Rwanda in 2021, and Nigeria and Zanzibar in 2022.
  • Since its inception, HHA has conducted over 38.5 million blood pressure screenings and activated over 1.300 healthcare facilities in Africa to provide hypertension services, and facilitate access to low cost, high-quality branded antihypertensive medicines (AstraZeneca data on file as at end June 2023).
  • The HHA program has also trained over 10.600 healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, community health volunteers and pharmacists to provide education and awareness, screening, and treatment services for hypertension.
  • In 2023, the program expanded to 10 new HHA Grant Countries in partnership with ACHAP and PATH. These partners will implement and manage the program expansion to five countries each over two years 2023 and 2024, with targeted interventions in hypertension care and management. The planned expansion will be to Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, The Gambia, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Geographic Reach
Disease Area
  • Non-communicable diseases
See Disease Areas
Partner organizations
Government

Ethiopian Ministry of Health

Ghana Health Service (GHS)

Ministry of Health Kenya

Rwanda Biomedical Center

Ministry of Health Rwanda

Ministry of Education Senegal

Ministry of Health Tanzania

Ministry of Health Uganda

National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) Nigeria

Ministry of Health Zanzibar

Nigeria

Bilateral development organizations

US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)

Local NGOs

Uganda Protestant Bureau (UPB)

African Christian Health Association Platform (ACHAP)

Health Improvement Project Zanzibar (HIPZ)

Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB)

Global NGOs

PATH

Population Services International (PSI)

Additional resources