Strengthening primary care systems through improved screening, referral pathways, and governance: lessons from the faith based facilities in sub saharan africa
1
Programs Department, Africa Christian Health Association Platform, Nairobi, Kenya
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
hypertension remains underdiagnosed across ssa due to weak screening systems, fragmented referral pathways, and limited continuity of care. faith based health facilities, which serve large community populations, face added constraints in workforce capacity, data management, and governance. phase one of the healthy heart africa program demonstrated that targeted interventions can expand hypertension screening. healthy heart africa 2.0, implemented through the achap–icph platform based in ivory coast, builds on phase one by strengthening screening systems, referral processes, partner coordination, and data driven decision making.
METHODS:
a multi country implementation approach was applied across faith based primary care facilities in kenya, uganda, and tanzania. healthy heart africa 2.0 focused on four areas: (1) capacity building of health workers on standardized screening protocols and documentation; (2) improvement of service delivery processes including patient flow redesign, integrated screening models, and strengthened referral and counter referral mechanisms; (3) enhancement of data quality and reporting through structured tools, routine monitoring, and supportive supervision; and (4) strengthened governance and partner engagement through planning tools, review meetings, and accountability mechanisms. data sources included phase one learnings, baseline assessments, routine facility reports, and supervisory observations.
RESULTS:
early implementation shows greater consistency in hypertension screening practices, improved adherence to referral protocols, and better tracking of clients requiring follow up. facility teams demonstrated improved accuracy of routine reporting and increased use of data for planning. partner engagement processes strengthened coordination between facility and program teams, contributing to more predictable and organized service delivery.
CONCLUSIONS:
healthy heart africa 2.0 demonstrates that strengthening screening systems, referral pathways, governance structures, and data use can enhance primary care performance in faith based facilities. the program provides a scalable approach for improving early detection and continuity of care for hypertension in resource constrained settings.
hypertension remains underdiagnosed across ssa due to weak screening systems, fragmented referral pathways, and limited continuity of care. faith based health facilities, which serve large community populations, face added constraints in workforce capacity, data management, and governance. phase one of the healthy heart africa program demonstrated that targeted interventions can expand hypertension screening. healthy heart africa 2.0, implemented through the achap–icph platform based in ivory coast, builds on phase one by strengthening screening systems, referral processes, partner coordination, and data driven decision making.
METHODS:
a multi country implementation approach was applied across faith based primary care facilities in kenya, uganda, and tanzania. healthy heart africa 2.0 focused on four areas: (1) capacity building of health workers on standardized screening protocols and documentation; (2) improvement of service delivery processes including patient flow redesign, integrated screening models, and strengthened referral and counter referral mechanisms; (3) enhancement of data quality and reporting through structured tools, routine monitoring, and supportive supervision; and (4) strengthened governance and partner engagement through planning tools, review meetings, and accountability mechanisms. data sources included phase one learnings, baseline assessments, routine facility reports, and supervisory observations.
RESULTS:
early implementation shows greater consistency in hypertension screening practices, improved adherence to referral protocols, and better tracking of clients requiring follow up. facility teams demonstrated improved accuracy of routine reporting and increased use of data for planning. partner engagement processes strengthened coordination between facility and program teams, contributing to more predictable and organized service delivery.
CONCLUSIONS:
healthy heart africa 2.0 demonstrates that strengthening screening systems, referral pathways, governance structures, and data use can enhance primary care performance in faith based facilities. the program provides a scalable approach for improving early detection and continuity of care for hypertension in resource constrained settings.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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