Tackling NCDs in rural areas: health workers trained

Diagnosing and caring for patients suffering from Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) is still a luxury that many health centres in rural and peri-urban Benin cannot afford. The challenge for these health workers is often to diagnose and treat sufferers or those at risk with the technical resources available. The Fondation Hubi & Vinciane and its partner Louvain Coopération have understood the importance of detection to refer patients suffering from or at risk of developing NCDs, notably diabetes and hypertension. The training was organized for a dozen health workers from the Parakou and Tchaourou communes as part of the project to combat Non-Communicable Diseases and Transmissible Diseases.

Dr Adebayo ALASSANE, the endocrinologist at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Départemental (CHUD), facilitated the three-day training. With this capacity-building, the health centres are better informed about the treatment process for these NCDs, claiming more and more victims within communities. Above all, they have learned what they can and cannot do, depending on their technical capabilities. With the support of trained agents, diabetes and hypertension will be better combated and, beyond that, better prevented. “We want to improve the treatment of these diseases. Suppose diagnosis is made early, and cases are taken care of at an early stage or referred to specialized hospitals. In that case, treatment will be effective”, explains Éric DOSSOU-GBETE, the Foundation’s Nutrition Manager.

In addition to this training, the Foundation uses other awareness-raising activities, screenings and sports clubs as a means of prevention.