Amref Health Africa and GSK partner to tackle growing threats of diabetes and childhood asthma in Kenya. GSK is supporting the training of 2,500 health workers in Kenya over the next three years to help tackle the growing health challenges of diabetes and childhood asthma.
The project, launched in Nairobi on Monday, is being undertaken in partnership with Kenya based NGO Amref Health Africa. Amref Health Africa’s training will target health workers in four counties – Nairobi, Kilifi, Kakamega and Nyeri – where diabetes and childhood asthma are particularly prevalent.
Ramil Burden and GSK Pharmaceaticals Kenya managing director Bridget Wachira.
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The training will be provided to nurses, clinical officers, laboratory technicians, nutritionists, pharmaceutical technicians, community health volunteers, community health extension workers, health manager and faculty/trainers of trainers.
Delegates at the launch discussed the current and future burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Kenya, the need to strengthen health systems to tackle NCDs and how tackling these diseases can help the country meet the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. One of the aims, under Goal 3, is to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases globally by one third by 2030, through prevention and treatment.
NCDs are predicted to become the most common cause of death in Africa by 2030.
In Kenya, one in 10 children under 14 is asthmatic and diabetes accounts for more than one quarter of all hospital admissions. Training of health workers has traditionally focused on infectious diseases, with the result that few are adequately trained or equipped to effectively manage conditions such as diabetes and childhood asthma.
“We are very concerned about the rising incidence of diabetes and asthma in the regions and communities where we work,” said Dr Githinji Gitahi, Group Chief Executive Officer of Amref Health Africa. “This training will go a long way towards ensuring that health workers have the necessary knowledge and skills needed to fight the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. They will also be able to play a vital role in empowering communities for lasting health change.”
GSK’s investment in the programme in Kenya is part of a long-term strategy announced in March 2014 to increase access to healthcare and deliver sustained economic growth across Africa by stimulating research, increasing capacity in local medicine supply and strengthening healthcare infrastructure. In Kenya, GSK has partnered with Amref for over 25 years.
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Bridget Wachira, Managing Director of GSK Pharmaceuticals Kenya said: “Frontline health workers are the backbone of resilient health systems. GSK is working to help swell the ranks of these essential staff to tackle non-communicable diseases and make sure even the most remote and underserved populations can access the care they need. This enables people to enjoy healthier lives and livelihoods, ultimately creating an environment in which communities and businesses can thrive.
In 2012, 17,733 Kenyans died of diabetes-related causes while 595,400 are estimated to remain undiagnosed. The high proportion of undiagnosed cases is contributing to irreversible complications that impose a huge economic burden on the individual, family, community and health system. Asthma too has serious complications if uncontrolled, leading to poor quality of life and even death.
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