«Doctors with Africa CUAMM and World Diabetes Foundation go a long way back and have had very trusted relationship and partnership for many years, and I think it’s safe to say that CUAMM is the one of the WDF’s most trusted partners in Africa». These are the words of Marianne Kjærtinge Faarbæk, WDF program manager, at the end of an intense morning of exchange and discussion on CUAMM’s commitment to fight chronic diseases in Mozambique, in particular in Quelimane.
Moreover, she continues: «In Mozambique, the work carried out in partnership with CUAMM, is bringing good results in the field of hypertension and diabetes care. I think that one of the most important thing about CUAMM’s work is the focus on evidence-based programming. Whatever they do is founded in knowledge about what works in this particular context and what doesn’t. So learning from what is being implemented and then gradually scaling it up, focusing on community involvement and general capacity development at healthcare system levels, with a special attention to sustainability».
We have to face many challenges for responding to the challenge of NCDs.
«In Mozambique, there is still a long way to go in the treatment of people with chronic diseases – says Marianne Kjærtinge Faarbæk –. The first challenge we need to overcome is the cultural barrier: to make people aware these diseases, such as diabetes or hypertension, are chronic and treatments are lifelong. There is really a lack of attention on NCDs in general, not only on the control, treatment and care, but also on supplies, making sure that medicines are accessible, consumables like how to diagnose that diagnostics are available. There is a difference between access to care for men and women. All of these things and I think CUAMM is very well placed to go in and start implementing and then understanding all of these factors that can impede access to proper treatment».
