The evolution of healthcare and access in Africa: lessons from my recent travels

Every time I return to Africa I am amazed at how healthcare and research there continues to develop and evolve. I always leave full of wonder and inspired to play a role in that progress.

When I spent time there in my early career, I worked on some of the biggest public health issues facing the continent at that time: infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Today, Africa faces these challenges in addition to others, including the climbing rates of chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease.

We face a pressing need for accessible and affordable treatments to address the burden of these diseases and to speed delivery of new innovation into Africa at scale. This calls for our collective ingenuity. We need to innovate and partner differently if we’re going to reach patients across a vast and diverse healthcare ecosystem in Africa.

Novartis is continually exploring and testing new models to strengthen research, build healthcare capacity and expand access to treatment in Africa. I recently returned from a trip visiting projects in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. Here’s what I saw and learned about propelling healthcare there forward today and in the future. 

Empowering patients through digital tech

First stop: Ghana. We visited the Manya Krobo District and met health workers involved in the Novartis Foundation’s Community-based Hypertension Improvement project (ComHIP). Hypertension is a prime risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, without access to healthcare, it can go unrecognized and become threatening. The ComHIP project shifts patients’ point of access-to-care from hospitals, which are often distant and crowded, to their local community. The local businesses and healthcare workers are trained to provide screening and care with mobile technology, helping patients to manage their condition by sending them text reminders for treatment and appointments.

Novel approaches utilizing existing technology can empower patients to manage their own health and help alleviate traditional barriers to healthcare, especially in remote areas. This program is one excellent example.

Closing difficult gaps in healthcare

While in Ghana, I also visited the screening laboratory for sickle cell disease at Noguchi Medical Research Institute. Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a global health problem, however Africa sees the highest rates of child deaths. This is in part due to a high incidence of the disease but often due to limited screening, access and inability to diagnose the disease early enough. We can see a clear disparity when comparing Africa to other parts of the world, where SCD is managed as a chronic disease.

Ghana is taking admirable steps to close these gaps by building screening centers, but there is still a long way to go. While there, I had the privilege to meet with Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo and discuss their efforts to tackle this devastating disease. Novartis has expertise in managing hematological diseases, and I am hopeful we will eventually be able to help lower the toll of the disease in the region in the future.

Flowing knowledge across borders

Next stop: Kenya. Around 9 years ago a team at Novartis worked with dedicated renal physicians from Spain and Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi to bring kidney transplantation to Kenya. It was desperately needed and today hundreds of transplants have been completed and a new transplant center is being built. I visited Kenyatta, the largest hospital in East Africa, and spent time meeting transplant patients, nurses and physicians.

Capability building through training is crucial to the advancement of care in Africa, as is creating centers of excellence where patients can access specialist treatment for complex conditions. Sometimes the most important role we can play as international partners is to bring people together and foster a continuous exchange of knowledge and expertise across borders and institutions.

Determined partnerships

In Kenya, I also had the honor to meet the international team, including our Chinese partners, that worked to develop and deliver our antimalarial medicine. Their work has left an awesome, lasting legacy. It has spanned 25 years, led to a Nobel prize and seen delivery of more than 850 million malaria treatments, mostly in Africa. And yet, their work is still not done. Malaria continues to cause more than 400,000 deaths a year, mostly in children under the age of 5.

I firmly believe that with decisive action malaria can be eliminated, in part by making the most of tools and treatments we have today. But it will take perseverance, commitment and extensive collaboration to achieve that vision. To tackle the big public health issues we and our partners face, we need to be prepared for the long-term together and design programs that can last and have an impact for decades.

Localized medical innovation

My last stop was South Africa where Novartis has established a strong clinical trial footprint. Having research and development expertise in place in Africa is equally essential to tackling diseases like malaria. We can gain more understanding of developing medicines that are effective for different populations and genetic pools. Having the capacity to run localized clinical trials in Africa is essential to delivering truly transformative medicines for patients there.

Novartis has 28 clinical trials at 163 sites currently underway across Africa. But our work doesn’t stop there. In 2017, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the South African Department of Science and Technology (DST) and South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) to enhance scientific research development and to advance the availability of local clinical data. And just a year after its signing, more than 80 doctors have been trained in research and publications skills and 120 scientists trained in Good Clinical Practice.

Passion delivers results

I was truly touched by the passion and energy of the people I met during my trip. I want to thank everyone - our employees, partners and patients - for welcoming me and for sharing your work and stories. Let’s continue to strengthen innovation, access and capacity in Africa together with creativity and passion.