Strengthening health systems to establish a chain of care and referral for management of non-communicalbe diseases in hard-to-reach populations of rural Tanzania: CARECHAIN-NCD
Situation:
The project is based in the Kilombero Valley in central Tanzania. There is a referral hospital with 375 beds serving over 1.5 million people; however, the existing health centres in the wider region are unable to provide adequate care for chronic non-communicable diseases outside the specialist centre due to lack of training and equipment.
Objectives:
Improving care for non-communicable diseases (hypertension, heart failure, obstructive lung diseases (asthma, COPD), diabetes, cancer) in the rural Kilombero region
Number of patients on continuous treatment and/or follow-up in the participating health facilities for each NCD disease entity as above
The CHAIN OF CARE consists of:
1. A protocol-based referral and allocation system
2. Support for peripheral healthcare facilities in clinical decision-making and determining the need for referral
3. Support with the procurement and stockpiling of essential medicines
4. Community awareness-raising activities and local screening services
The CHAIN OF CARE to be established and the training of healthcare staff are fully integrated into the local healthcare system from the outset, ensuring that no structures are created which would cease to exist once the project ends.
This project is being carried out as part of the ‘Else Kröner Centre for Heart and Lung Diseases’, which was established at St Francis Referral Hospital in Ifakara as part of a previous project. The CARECHAIN-NCD project is now making this care available to people in the surrounding rural region as well.
