Zimbabwe’s PEN-Plus Program Makes Strides

Dr. Colin Pfaff, the Network’s associate director of programs (fifth from left), and Dr. Todd Ruderman, the Network’s regional advisor for Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Kenya (fourth from right), attended the PEN-Plus Indicator Meeting at SolidarMed in Masvingo, Zimbabwe, in early October. Dr. Alvern Mutengerere, SolidarMed’s project manager for noncommunicable diseases, is second from right.

A recent visit to Zimbabwe by members of the NCDI Poverty Network’s Programs Team yielded encouraging updates on the country’s PEN-Plus program.  

In early October, Dr. Colin Pfaff, the Network’s associate director of programs, and Dr. Todd Ruderman, one of the Network’s regional advisors, began their visit by joining team members in the capital, Harare, to share updates with CHAI and UNICEF representatives.

CHAI, one of the Network’s two implementing partners in Zimbabwe, works at the operational level on monitoring and evaluation, advocacy, and coordination with the Ministry of Health. The Network’s other primary partner is SolidarMed, a Swiss nongovernmental organization that bases its Zimbabwe work in Masvingo Province, where Masvingo Provincial Hospital is the main hub for PEN-Plus implementation and care.

“Both teams work really well together,” Dr. Ruderman said, “and they’re both impressive organizations.”

They were joined in the capital by Tinotenda Dzikiti, a Voices for PEN-Plus advocate who lives with type 1 diabetes in Harare and is a passionate global advocate for T1 International.

Drs. Pfaff and Ruderman then traveled to Masvingo, where they visited the adult and pediatric PEN-Plus clinics at the provincial hospital. The pediatric clinic has enrolled 33 patients, including 10 with epilepsy, as SolidarMed does outreach at a local epilepsy center.

“SolidarMed has created a congenial, innovative, and friendly environment for integrated care,” Dr. Ruderman said. “Both clinics were spacious and well-equipped, and they operated smoothly.”

Zimbabwe’s PEN-Plus program also operates in two district-level hospitals, Mashoko Christian Hospital and Ndanga District Hospital. Drs. Pfaff and Ruderman were able to visit the one in Ndanga District, where they saw nearly a dozen patients. Four of those patients had type 1 diabetes, and the visiting doctors were able to join a discussion about one patient’s struggles with different types of insulin across years of care. Dr. Ruderman noted that the hospital’s medical staff is excited and engaged in PEN-Plus and NCDs.

The team also visited Bikita Rural Hospital, also part of the country’s PEN-Plus program. As part of the visit, the team finalized the selection of a Zimbabwean patient educator who would attend the diabetes peer educator training in Uganda hosted by Sonia Nabeta Foundation.

Dr. Ruderman, who joined the Network in September as the regional advisor for Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Kenya, noted that lessons from the visit will inform continued conversations with UNICEF and the Ministry of Health to support noncommunicable disease programs in Zimbabwe and to explore a potential national scale-up of PEN-Plus.