Towards universal health coverage in sub-Saharan Africa: leveraging HIV healthcare systems to provide integrated care for HIV, diabetes and hypertension

Project summary

Over the last decade, the burden of non-communicable chronic diseases, predominantly diabetes and hypertension, has risen sharply in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, only a minority of people living with these diseases have access to chronic disease care. At the same time, sub-Saharan Africa is the epicentre of the global HIV pandemic, where two-thirds of all people living with HIV reside. The discovery of life-saving antiretroviral therapy and consequent scale-up of HIV healthcare services in Africa were an unparalleled success: transforming HIV from a deadly infection to a chronic disease. Nowadays, antiretroviral therapy is accessible to about 75% of people living with HIV. I aim to study how the relatively well established HIV healthcare systems in sub-Saharan Africa can be leveraged to also provide healthcare for diabetes and hypertension in settings with the largest unmet healthcare needs for these diseases. Over an 18-month period, I will use unique Harvard-coordinated data to quantify the co-burden of HIV, diabetes and hypertension in 14 sub-Saharan African countries and map current healthcare performance. To this end, I will bring together various experts to co-design innovative strategies for integrated chronic disease care. My findings will be disseminated through stakeholder presentations, scientific articles, policy briefs, conferences, and social media.