Strategic Plan Details Global Targets for 2028
Namazzi Mercy, a medical intern, takes the blood pressure of 11-year-old Lubwama Jackson, who receives treatment for his sickle cell disease at the PEN-Plus clinic in Nakaseke, Uganda. (Photo: ©Badru Katumba/World Health Organization)
On September 24, the NCDI Poverty Network officially published the PEN-Plus Partnership Strategic Plan (2025–2028).
“This plan is not a routine document,” said Gene Bukhman, one of the Network’s co-chairs. “Instead, it is our commitment, our testimony, and our witness to the collective progress of NCDI Poverty Network partners in delivering healthcare and hope to people in lower-income countries who are living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and childhood heart disease.”
Network partners celebrated the official publication at a launch event the same day.
The strategic plan provides an overview of PEN-Plus, a healthcare delivery system that connects the dots across levels of care, enabling entire healthcare systems in lower-income countries to provide lifesaving support to people with severe noncommunicable diseases in rural settings by bringing care closer to home. “For families living in deep poverty,” the plan states, “the impact is transformative.”
The plan also details how the success of the PEN-Plus model over the past three years has created a tipping point for reaching ambitious expansion goals. According to the plan, the Network will accelerate this progress by focusing on three priority areas:
Equity. Health equity for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases is the core premise underpinning PEN-Plus. The 2028 Global Target for Equity is to ensure that PEN-Plus services are accessible to a combined catchment area of 51 million people in low-income countries.
Quality. Innovations aimed at solving resource challenges are a critical part of enabling the scaling up of PEN-Plus. The 2028 Global Target for Quality is to ensure that 100 percent of established PEN-Plus clinics exceed the minimum performance indicator thresholds for key patient care and operational processes.
Financing. Key investments by NCDI Poverty Network partners can catalyze enduring support for PEN-Plus programs. The 2028 Global Target for Financing is to unlock an estimated $40 million annually in support of PEN-Plus interventions across public sector, official development assistance, and philanthropic financing streams.
The strategic plan is available as a PDF download, a flipbook, and a microsite.