CIDRZ, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, has launched the third PEN Plus clinic in Zambia, and this time at Kapiri Mposhi’s Level One Hospital. The PEN Plus clinic focuses on diagnosing and treating severe non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and enhancing care for affected individuals in the community.

CIDRZ’s Principal Investigator of the PEN Plus Project, Professor Fastone Goma, said during the opening ceremony that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading global cause of mortality, hence the need for comprehensive NCDs management, including treatment, education, lifestyle changes, regular screenings, and support services. He further said that the opening of a PEN Plus clinic will enable healthcare providers to utilise the PEN Plus strategy, which decentralises care for severe conditions. He called upon the healthcare workers at the hospital to continue with the ongoing dialogue with the community regarding NCDs, stressing the importance of raising awareness and actively encouraging individuals to seek treatment and adopt preventive measures to mitigate the risks of NCDs.

“By promoting proactive health engagement and delivering holistic care, the hospital can significantly alleviate the burden of NCDS within the community, he said”.

Meanwhile, Kapiri Mposhi District Health Director, Dr. Katherine Kalumba, commended the Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) for establishing a PEN Plus clinic in the district.

She noted that the initiative will alleviate the lack of capacity and resources to manage severe NCDs effectively and that the PEN Plus model will motivate healthcare workers to provide standardised care as they manage chronic and severe non-communicable diseases.

She stressed that the district is looking forward to a time when the PEN Plus program will be rolled out to other hospitals in the province, ensuring equitable access to healthcare for all residents.

Additionally, CIDRZ donated equipment and medicines for managing NCDs to be utilised at the PEN Plus clinic.

Zambia now boasts of three operational sites for the PEN Plus program, with Matero and Mwachisompola First Level Hospitals serving as the initial pilot sites which were operationalized in November 2022 and were officially launched in April 2023. Kapiri Mposhi First Level Hospital marks the third site to join the initiative.

The PEN Plus program represents an integrated delivery strategy to provide chronic care for severe non-communicable diseases at intermediate-level facilities like district hospitals. It builds upon the framework established by the World Health Organization’s Package of Essential NCD Interventions (WHO PEN) for addressing common NCDs.