The burden of NCDs has been on the rise and according to WHO, it is estimated that in the next ten years, the global NCD burden will increase by 17% and that of the African region by 27% respectively.
In Tanzania, various efforts have been done to reduce this burden of which TDA in partnership with PORALG and the Ministry of Health has implemented various projects on NCDs. Among other objectives, these projects focus on building the capacity of the healthcare providers and health facilities in the prevention and basic management of NCDs including integration of NCDs with other chronic services. The most spoken ground of integration is that of HIV/AIDS and NCDs due to the epidemiological overlap of the diseases and their high prevalence.
Despite these efforts, the continued raising of NCDs in Tanzania as in other lower- and middle-income e countries amplifies an urgent effort to control these growing numbers of NCDs. Diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases account for 33% of all deaths in the country. Furthermore, gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM)remains a neglected cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality exacerbated by limited screening and management strategies.
Through the program, Tanzania Diabetes Association has increased the knowledge and skills of the healthcare workers in the prevention, early detection and management of non-communicable diseases at primary health facilities. In 2022 a total of 1381 healthcare workers and 135 Train of trainers (TOTs) were trained.
Tanzania Diabetes Association always supports the Ministry of Health in developing different reference documents and guidelines to improve health service delivery. In 2022, we supported the formation of the national research committee, the committee coordinated the process of developing the NCD research agenda and finally, the National NCD research agenda was developed and endorsed by the ministry of health and were also included in the national research agenda by the National Institute of Medical Research.
Through the program, Tanzania Diabetes Association has been engaged in the promotion and prevention of non-communicable diseases. In 2022, 60 journalists from different media were sensitized on non-communicable diseases prevention mechanisms. The aim was to encourage them to publish different NCD articles and messages on different social media platforms. Additionally, from the training, TDA, TANCDA and MOH managed to post NCD messages on their social media accounts.
The association also participated in the commemoration of non-communicable diseases week which was held in the Mwanza region from 6th to 13th November 2022. During that week education on the prevention of non-communicable diseases was provided to the people who visited the host playing ground of CCM kirumba stadium where the commemoration was held. A total of 1400 people were screened for non-communicable diseases. Additionally, the Tanzania Diabetes Association, MOH, and MUHAS organized a National NCD scientific conference, in which 780 people and more than 1000 abstracts were presented.
