A Decade of Impact: Advancing Health Systems Resilience in Africa, Enhancing Equitable Care in NCDs

The increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular, renal, metabolic diseases, and mental health conditions, is pushing Africa’s healthcare systems to their limits. By 2030, NCDs are expected to account for 46% of all fatalities in Africa i, marking the largest increase in NCD-related mortality globally. A person in the region aged between 30 and 70 has a 20.7% iichance of dying from one of the major NCDs. Cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic diseases are emerging as key contributors to this growing health crisis, both globally and regionally.

To address this challenge, AstraZeneca is convening key stakeholders at the 4th Global NCD Alliance Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, to explore strategies for intervention with a special focus on strengthening patient pathways and building resilient health systems capable of addressing the cardiovascular and renal disease burden.

Effective patients pathways—from early screening and diagnosis to treatment and follow-up—are essential for ensuring timely, equitable, and integrated care for cardiovascular and renal diseases. Improving these pathways will enhance health outcomes, reduce inefficiencies, and support the resilience of health systems.

In this session, participants will discuss how integrated patient pathways for cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic diseases can improve healthcare outcomes and build resilient health systems. The discussion will also set the stage for the 2025 United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health and contribute to the development of updated World Health Organization NCD guidelines.

By aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 (reducing premature mortality from NCDs), this session will focus on integrated approaches to care and initiatives to streamline patient pathways, making them more accessible and adaptable to Africa’s evolving NCD landscape.

The event will culminate in a special commemoration of the 10th anniversary of AstraZeneca’s Healthy Heart Africa (HHA) programme. As part of AstraZeneca’s broader efforts to support the screening of 140 million people at risk and reduce kidney failure by 20% by 2025 through key partnerships, this anniversary will celebrate HHA’s significant impact in advancing NCD care. The focus will be on cardiorenal health, highlighting the contribution of the programme’s implementing partners in establishing effective patient pathways across the continent.