Fighting a Silent Epidemic: New Partnership with Endless Network to Support Community Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases

We are excited to announce that D-tree is partnering with Endless Network to explore non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and control at the primary healthcare level in Tanzania. 

With a national push to expand the type of services that community health workers deliver in their communities to combat the rising double burden of disease in Tanzania, we see an exciting opportunity to leverage our Afya-Tek model that connects pharmacies, community health workers, and facilities in a seamless, technology powered network to address screening and health promotion for NCDs at the community level, where these services are needed most.

Through the partnership, we will design and test a digital tool as part of the existing national digital community health system to help community health workers screen for prioritized non-communicable diseases during household visits. Community health workers will check blood pressure, identify those at risk, and either refer clients to health facilities or link them to the closest drug shops equipped with digital decision-support tools to ensure that they receive the right care, at the right time. 

This initiative will shape client-centered, digital pathways for non-communicable disease care in Tanzania – laying the foundation for scalable solutions in partnership with the government.

Addressing non-communicable diseases through digital innovation

Hypertension and diabetes are on the rise in Tanzania, claiming over a third of all deaths – yet too many cases go undiagnosed and care comes too late. This new initiative aims to leverage digital solutions to improve how NCDs are detected, prevented, and treated. This first phase of work will initially focus on:

• Improving community awareness and behavior change around NCD prevention. Community health workers can play a central role in addressing the burden of NCDs in their communities, but they need the tools, training, and knowledge to be able to do so well.
• Improving screening and early detection of hypertension and other NCDs at the primary healthcare level. Drug shops are essential healthcare providers to Tanzanians in remote areas. By equipping them with a digital screening tool we can improve early detection and treatment.
• Improving data collection and analytics to inform decision-making and improve NCD prevention and treatment. By using data from the Afya-Tek program, similar to this study conducted with funding from the Gates Foundation, we can understand and ultimately improve the availability of medicines to manage non-communicable diseases.

A phased approach

Our ultimate goal is to scale this tool across Tanzania’s entire primary healthcare system. This initiative is the first phase of that journey, during which we will ensure that its design is contextually relevant and effective.

“Expanding the type of health services communities can access is key to improving overall health and well-being of people. This is an exciting step for us as we are looking to integrate more disease areas into the programs we know are already working well.” 

Gloria Kahamba, D-tree Country Director Tanzania

Human-Centered Design Research

We will conduct formative research to explore current pathways to care and care-seeking behaviors around NCDs in Tanzania. This participatory, human-centered design approach will involve communities, healthcare workers, and government staff to identify challenges and opportunities in how the health system can prevent and treat people living with NCDs.  

Additionally, we will develop a learning agenda to guide the research and evaluation of the phases. This will ensure that our solution is informed by evidence and real-world insights.

Designing, Prototyping, Validating

In parallel with the first phase, we will design, build, and validate the tool. Community health workers, health facility staff, and drug shop staff will test the solution to generate learnings on what works and what needs refinement.

This phase will lay the foundation for a robust, scalable solution that can be integrated within the existing health system and expanded across Tanzania.

Scaling For National Impact

As we secure additional funding and resources, we will build on the early learnings to:

• Expand the solution geographically, reaching an estimated 240 community health workers, 140 drug shops, and 380,000 individuals.
• Conduct a randomized controlled trial or similar rigorous evaluation to measure the impact.
• Work with the Tanzanian Ministry of Health, Pharmacy Council, private sector, and other partners to formally integrate non-communicable disease services into the national system.
• Unlock critical data and insights on non-communicable disease prevalence, care-seeking behaviors, and digital health interventions in low- and middle-income countries.

Looking Ahead

This partnership is an exciting step as we look to expand the services that communities in Tanzania can receive through the Afya-Tek program.

Would you like to be a part of this journey with us? If so, please get in touch: joinus@d-tree.org.

Stay tuned for more news on how digital innovation is shaping the future of non-communicable disease prevention and care in Tanzania.