Chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and hypertension kill 38 million people each year. According to the WHO, 82% of these “premature” deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Up to half of all such deaths are linked to weak health systems that do not respond effectively and equitably to the health-care needs of people with chronic diseases.
Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) has been providing treatment for NCDs for over forty years. But as a result of urbanisation, epidemiological transition and the increasing conflicts in middle income settings, MSF is faced with the need to step up its response to NCDs. MSF will now work with Primary Care International (PCI) to deliver pragmatic evidence-based training to improve health care workers’ ability to make best use of available medical resources and increase access to effective treatment.
The partnership will see a training programme developed and delivered in Amman, Jordan, where health workers from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Ukraine, Myanmar and Swaziland will come together to learn effective and realistic techniques to manage chronic diseases within the community. These health workers serve some of the most vulnerable populations in the world. Through proven, low-cost interventions, these trainings promise to improve health outcomes for the thousands of patients who pass through MSF clinics each year.
Primary Care International is a social enterprise launched in 2014 by Red Whale | GP Update, one of the UK’s leading providers of medical education in primary care. With a focus on quality, cost-effectiveness and innovation, PCI partners with healthcare providers globally to deliver evidence-based training and strategic support across a diverse range of health systems and settings. www.primarycare.international.
Medecins Sans Frontieres is an international humanitarian agency helping people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters or exclusion from healthcare. www.msf.org.