Addis Ababa, 18 May 2018: The Global heart manual adoption workshop conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 15-18, May 2018. The workshop was aimed to adopt a Global HEARTS tools and protocols for Ethiopia. In Ethiopia primary health care is prioritized and valued by the government However, the health care delivery system is predominantly framed to address acute communicable, maternal neonatal and nutritional problems. Non-communicable disease services like Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) management and risk assessment is almost non-existent at primary health care. According to IHME 2015 data, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including ischemic heart disease, stroke, and hypertensive heart disease are Ethiopia’s second leading cause of premature death and disability (6,458 per 100,000 age-standardized disability-adjusted life year (DALYs).
 

To address the problem of CVD at primary health care level, Ethiopia conducted a workshop to adopt a Global HEARTS tools and protocols from May 15-18/2018 in Addis Ababa. During this workshop, the Global HEARTS tools and protocols were developed with consultation of FMOH directorates, academician and partner organizations. The tool designed by WHO and partner organizations to integrate management of NCDs to supplement and strengthen the WHO-PEN strategy at primary health care level which includes a set of cost-effective interventions that represent the minimum standard for NCD management. The objective is simplification of protocols and adopting algorithms to be used by non-physician health care providers at primary health care level. The HEARTS modules designed as a health system approach focusing on healthy life style, evidence based protocols, availability of essential medicines and diagnostic tools, team based care and system monitoring. It is expected that the adopted HEARTS protocols facilitates evidence based standard practice by PHC health workers and health extension workers at community level.

Currently in Ethiopia Hypertension is among the major risk factors which should be addressed to make impact and  meet  target on health SDGS. According to the Ethiopian 2015 STEPS survey, national prevalence of hypertension is 16% (M=15.7%, F=16.5%), with a regional variation as high as 25%. The same survey also showed that on average 97.2% of patients diagnosed with elevated blood pressure do not receive appropriate preventive care or treatment, and amongst the 2.8% who receiving care, almost half (46.4 %) are not well controlled with anti-hypertensives. While hypertension is easy to diagnose and follow, it remains the most powerful predictor of stroke, heart attack and other CVD complications. In addition its “silent” course creates high health care cost, and major disease and economic burden for the country.  In recognition of this problem the “Resolve to save lives” funded “Improving hypertension prevention & control at primary care” project has been planned to be implemented with technical collaboration of WHO and Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia.

The project includes health promotion activity on healthy lifestyle and salt reduction; early detection through screening, and treatment of hypertension using combined pills to increase adherence. The project will be implemented in 50 primary health care units and 40 school health sites with additional community mobilization campaigns in five regions of the country covering around 10 million populations. From this project it is expected that it laid a foundation of best practice demonstration in hypertension chronic care model and risk behavior change at primary health care level for further scale-up.

For Further information please contact:
              Fassil Shiferaw, Email: shiferawf [at] who.int (shiferawf[at]who[dot]int), WHO-NCD team, Tel.0911211301
              Selamawit Yilma, Communications Officer, Email: yilmas [at] who.int (yilmas[at]who[dot]int), Tel. 0911671134