Today at WCC 2016, the Pan-African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) presented their ten pillars for the Africa roadmap which has as its goal a 25% control rate of hypertension in the region by 2025.
The ten pillars are:
- All national programmes on NCDs should contain a plan for the detection of hypertension
- Allocate appropriate funding and resources to the plan for the detection, treatment and control of hypertension
- Create simple and practical clinical guidelines which are required for the detection, treatment and control of hypertension
- Monitor and report rates of detection, treatment and control on an annual basis with a clear target of improvement by 2025 using the WHO stepwise surveillance in all countries
- Integrate detection treatment and control of hypertension within existing health service such as vertical programmes (for example HIV, TB)
- Shift the paradigm to promote task sharing with adequately trained community health workers, etc
- Ensure the availability of essential equipment and medicines for the management of hypertension at primary and all levels of care
- Provide universal access and coverage for the detection, treatment and control
- Support high quality research to produce the evidence that will guide interventions
- Invest in population level interventions for the prevention of hypertension such as reduction in high salt intake, increase in fruit and vegetable diet, physical activity and reduction of obesity
