News and Features
Building for the Future
The PEN-Plus clinic in eastern Uganda began as a gathering under a tree and has blossomed into a standalone structure with consultation and treatment rooms, a training center, and a pharmacy. “After years of carrying the extra burden of clinic days under a tree,” said Dr. Wubaye Dagnaw, the Network’s regional advisor for East Africa, “patients now receive their treatment in the setting they deserve.”
From Words to Action
The first International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa provided a platform for health experts, policymakers, civil society organization representatives, donors, people living with noncommunicable diseases, and community advocates to expedite political and financial backing for PEN-Plus.
Uganda Ministry of Health Celebrates PEN-Plus Launch
The Uganda Ministry of Health, the local government of the Kumi District, and the Uganda Initiative for Integrated Management of Noncommunicable Diseases hosted a celebration of the launch of PEN-Plus in Uganda on 23 November.
PEN-Plus in Action Introduces a Global Partnership to Fight Severe, Chronic NCDs
More than 60 representatives of leading global health policy, technical, advocacy, and financing institutions and people living with NCDs gathered at UNICEF House in New York on September 15, 2022, to introduce the PEN-Plus Partnership, a major international initiative to address the global burden of severe NCDs and injuries that cause more than 500,000 avoidable deaths every year among children and young adults living in extreme poverty.
Major Milestones for the Three East African Countries Implementing PEN-Plus
Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia are on track to open their first PEN-Plus clinics and training sites in the coming months.
Uganda NCDI Poverty Commission launches report at World Health Summit Regional Meeting
The Uganda NCDI Poverty Commission launched its final report at a session within the World Health Summit Regional Meeting for Africa in Kampala on June 28.