Southern Africa Regional Hub Celebrates First Anniversary

The Maputo co-secretariat of the NCDI Poverty Network celebrated both its first anniversary and that of the Southern Africa Regional Hub in early February.

The Maputo co-secretariat of the NCDI Poverty Network, based at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, hosted an event marking the first anniversary of the establishment of both the Southern Africa Regional Hub and the Maputo co-secretariat on February 1. During the event, organizers encouraged discussion on how the Hub could support countries in the region in implementing the PEN-Plus model.

“The Southern Africa Regional Hub was formed to address a gap in coordination of responses to the challenges of advocacy, policy, implementation, research, and surveillance of noncommunicable diseases and injuries in the region,” said Dr. Ana Mocumbi, chair of the Maputo co-secretariat, during her opening remarks. “This event aims to kick off those activities and set the stage for coordination among PEN-Plus programs not only in Southern Africa but also across sub-Saharan Africa.”

Professor Emilío Tostão, coordinator of the Southern Africa Regional Hub, introduced members of the Maputo co-secretariat and invited meeting participants to provide guidance on establishing a governance structure for the Hub. He also introduced a discussion on how the Southern Africa Regional Hub can best serve as a platform for knowledge sharing and joint research, engage government bodies effectively, and involve other low- and lower-middle income countries in the region, such as Madagascar, Lesotho, the Comoros, and Eswatini.

“It is important that we establish a governance structure that will provide strategic guidance and ensure accountability and transparency in decision-making,” said Prof. Tostão, who is also research director of Universidade Eduardo Mondlane.

Following Prof. Tostão’s presentation, Dr. Humberto Muquingue, co-chair of the Mozambique NCDI Poverty Commission, moderated a group discussion on the themes that Prof. Tostão introduced. During that conversation, several participants voiced their support for Prof. Tostão’s proposal to establish a Southern Africa Regional Hub Steering Committee composed of PEN-Plus project coordinators and NCDI Poverty Commission members from each country in the region. Discussion also centered on strategies for strengthening the role of the Maputo co-secretariat.

The event included a roundtable focused on PEN-Plus initiation and scale-up. NCD teams in Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe offered details on their staffing, clinic location, program design, partners, and national PEN-Plus implementation.

Dr. Neil Gupta, the network’s policy director, and Dr. Emily Wroe, the Network’s programs director, moderated the roundtable discussion, which included members of the NCD teams sharing stories of how patients have already benefitted from the PEN-Plus model.

“We had a diabetic patient whose blood glucose levels were poorly controlled,” said Dr. Alvin Mutengerere, project manager for noncommunicable diseases at SolidarMed Zimbabwe. “She had to pay for her insulin out of pocket, and so was underdosing to allow her supply to last longer. Now she receives insulin free of charge, and her condition is well controlled.”

The patient’s insulin is being provided by a newly opened clinic in Zimbabwe through PEN-Plus, an integrated care delivery strategy that offers diagnosis and treatment for severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases—including type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and rheumatic heart disease—in rural areas of low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Dr. Gene Bukhman, chair of the Network’s Boston co-secretariat, delivered concluding remarks that emphasized the power of the Hub to serve as a global example.

“Discussions that Dr. Mocumbi and Dr. Muquingue initiated in 2018 first showed the value this platform could bring to the region’s population,” Dr. Bukhman said. “The learning between countries and the progress made since that time proves the Southern Africa Regional Hub is a model for other regions in Africa and across the world. This is just the beginning of the journey.”