Context & key figures
Burkina Faso is one of the countries where the density of health professionals is one of the lowest in the world, with only 1 doctor and 5 nurses on average per 10,000 inhabitants. This shortage significantly limits the country's ability to provide its population with sufficient and equitable health services, with very high treatment prices. The fight against non communication diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, has become a priority with more than 30% of the adult population affected by an NCD.
Santé Diabète began its field activities in Burkina Faso in 2012.
An analysis of the situation confirmed that the difficulties were similar to those analyzed in 2003 in Mali, and included :
- Geographic and financial accessibility barriers to diabetes care
- A lack of medicines, consultation, follow-up and diagnostic devices
- A lack of health professionals trained in the management of diabetes
- A lack of prevention programs
- A health system not adapted to the management of chronic diseases
Our action
Based on the experience developed in Mali, Santé Diabète has set up a structuring program with a global approach including all the axes necessary for the implementation of prevention and quality diabetes care.
strengthening human resources
access to medicines
strengthening of technical platforms and biological diagnostic tools
development of prevention and therapeutic education programs
support to the structuring of associations of people with diabetes locally, regionally and at the national level.
Our impact
Our support to the national diabetes program in Burkina Faso has enabled the Ministry of Health as well as people with diabetes in different regions of the country to obtain important results.
Prevention and management of comorbidities Diabetes/HIV and diabetes/TB
As part of a project funded by L’Initiative/Expertise France on diabetes/HIV and diabetes/TB comorbidities with the aim of better integrating the care of people :
- Development and revision of prevention tools and training modules for patients and healthcare professionals.
- Implementation of training actions for health workers in conjunction with the ministries of health and teams of national trainers of: 33 doctors and 36 diabetes referral paramedics; 18 physicians and 18 paramedical referents Tuberculosis; 17 doctors and 18 HIV referent paramedics.
- Implementation of patient prevention actions with the training of 30 peer educators to ensure community prevention of diabetes in people with HIV and prevent HIV / TB in people with diabetes.
- Production of an advocacy note for national stakeholders on issues related to diabetes / TB and diabetes / HIV comorbidities.
Strengthening national dialogue frameworks and access to medicines
Establishment of a dialogue framework and collection of a large amount of data on the availability and prices of medicines and health devices at the different levels of the health pyramid before a restitution at the second meeting of the dialogue framework.
Prevention
Opening of houses for prevention of diabetes and risk factors :
- Launch in 2021 of a diabetes prevention houses, jointly with the association Diabète laisse moi vivre (ADLMV), and launch of prevention and support workshops for people in the house.
- Training of 18 patient peer educators in 2021 and adaptation of prevention tools developed in Mali used by PEPs.
- Achievements in 2021 by PEs, within the walls of prevention centres, with the community, in health structures and in prenatal consultations, in Ouagadougou and in 6 other regions: 300 events which affected 3,746 people.
- Celebration of World Diabetes Day (WDD) on November 11, 2021 with the authorities. Broadcast of TV trailers, short radio programs and a press conference.
- Training of a network of 25 journalists on issues related to diabetes, and awarding of prizes for the best contributions, among the 15 productions made in 2021 in the various media.
- Screening and hypertension days : 71 including 30 on the sidelines of the WDD: in total: 6,459 people screened.
- Actions in schools in Burkina Faso : in 2021, 3 training sessions for 120 education staff in Ouagadougou and in the Center (Ouagadougou), Center-West (Koudougou), Central Plateau (Ziniaré), Center-East (Tenkodogo) and Center-South (Manga) regions. Which led to the realization of 126 animations in 42 schools and reached 3,390 pupils.
- Strengthening of patient associations : in 2021, reinforcement of 17 people from partner associations of the city of Ouagadougou on prevention. Realization of regional training sessions which reached: 40 people.
- Continuation of the intercultural exchange between Ouagadougou and Grenoble. In the first half of 2021, 68 students were involved in this exchange.
In 2013, only 3.8% of health districts in Burkina Faso had health professionals trained in diabetes management. In 2019, thanks to the action of Santé Diabète, all (100%) of the health districts in Burkina Faso have diabetes management trained health professionals.
A prevention & screening session in Burkina Faso
Testimony
BINTOU DRAMERA
type 2 diabetic, founder of the association Vivre Avec Son Diabète
"Santé Diabète has helped me a lot to learn how to daily live better with my disease and to strengthen my knowledge of diabetes. During workshops on diet, I learned how to prepare and eat balanced dishes, including local dishes. I was also explained how to practice a physical activity - such as walking - adapted to my rhythm of life. Thanks to the training of Santé Diabète on the techniques of animations, I now accompany as a pair educator people in my community to help them live with their diabetes and avoid complications."
FOCUS : TRAINING ON HIV,
TUBERCULOSIS &
DIABETES COMORBIDITIES
In 2018, we set up a cycle of continuing medical training for health professionals, doctors and nurses on the management of diabetes/tuberculosis and diabetes/HIV comorbidities as well as a network of peer educators from associations of people with diabetes and HIV/AIDS.
Initially, the aim of this action was to include the management of patients with co-morbidities. Secondly, it enabled the integration of diabetes risk factors prevention in people with HIV/AIDS and the prevention of HIV/AIDS in people with diabetes. This pilot action, critical to strengthen the country's health system, will be continued and strengthened in the next years.
THE NEW « CONVENTION PROGRAM »
2020 - 2023
The objective of this new program agreement will be to improve the quality of life and health of populations in the targeted countries (Burkina Faso, Mali and the Union of the Comoros) by consolidating the place and the role of civil society (patient associations and associations of healthcare professionals) in a multi-stakeholder network around diabetes to improve prevention, care and support for people affected by this disease. It will also aim to strengthen the use in the global North of the expertise developed in the global South. Finally, it will enable to continue the strengthening the organization and the governance of the NGO Santé Diabète.
The challenge of this three-year program agreement is to continue strengthening the political and strategic frameworks including the fight against diabetes and the health system in order to train even more specialists and generalist health professionals to be able to improve the healthcare of patients with diabetes, but also to continue geographic and financial accessibility to anti-diabetic treatments, in particular insulin. Besides, by supporting the structuring of a diabetes prevention center in each country of intervention, Santé Diabète will allow the strengthening of prevention, care and support actions for people with diabetes and people with risk factors linked to this disease while guiding civil society towards its empowerment.
Even though this program agreement is implemented in Burkina Faso, the Union of the Comoros and Mali, specific objectives have been defined for each country according to the needs identified with the various national implementing partners.
ACHIEVING THESE OBJECTIVES IN BURKINA FASO WILL BE THROUGH :
- The celebration of 3 world diabetes days and the organization of 60 days of diabetes screening and its risk factors (free of charge for people).
- Awareness raising :
- of 21,000 people and and 2,000 people with risk factors through a prevention program using peer educators (18) the media (100 shows) and NICTs
- of 3,300 primary and high school students through a prevention cycle on good health behavior
- training of 25 journalists working on health
- Strengthening the health system through the training of :
- Improving the availability and lower the prices of essential medicines used against diabetes
- Strengthening therapeutic education for patients with diabetes through the establishment of a network of peer educators
- Establishment of a « prevention house » held by associations to strengthen prevention actions and therapeutic education
- Strengthening of 8 associations of patients and health professionals
- Consolidation of the role and actions of these associations
- The reinforcement :
- of the national response to diabetes
- of national standards and procedures for the management of diabetes at the level of the Ministry of Health
- other policy documents including diabetes (nutrition, maternal health, etc.)
- of the inclusion of diabetes in the Universal Health Coverage (UHC)
This program is supported by two main partners: the French Development Agency (AFD) and the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF). It also receives support from other national and international partners such as the Auvergne Rhône Alpes region, the City of Grenoble, the Life For A Child program ...
Download the presentation sheet 1 for more information on this program.
2ND PHASE OF THE PROJECT ON PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF DIABETES/HIV/TB COMORBIDITIES
This project is the continuity of a first innovative three-year project aiming at integrating the prevention and management of diabetes/HIV and diabetes/TB comorbidities in Burkina Faso and Mali. This new project will take place in the two Saharan African countries already targeted by the previous project and will be extended to the Union of the Comoros in the Indian Ocean.
This new project will allow :
- At public policies and national strategies levels : the definition of in-depth standards and procedures based on the curricula of defined health professionals and the definition of the related technical documents; taking into account co-morbidities in the next country concept notes and finally strengthening the knowledge and capacities of CCMs on these themes.
- At the operational level: continuing to build the capacities of health professionals involved in the management of diabetes, TB and HIV with the development of a clinical mentoring component complementary to theoretical training; the extension of community prevention actions carried out by the PEP networks formed in the two countries with stronger mobilization of civil society organizations (CSOs) and of patient organizations; strengthening of therapeutic education strategies adapted to the comorbidities developed during the previous project.
Even though this program agreement is implemented in Burkina Faso, the Union of the Comoros and Mali, specific objectives have been defined for each country according to the needs identified with the various national implementing partners.
ACHIEVING THESE OBJECTIVES IN BURKINA FASO WILL BE THROUGH :
- Strengthening of 3 national diabetes programs on the prevention and management of HIV and tuberculosis co-morbidities
- Strengthening CCMs on the prevention and management of co-morbidities
- Strengthening the skills of 13 patient associations and CSOs
- Establishment of a community network of 26 trained community PEPs
- Training on the management of comorbidities of :
- 144 healthcare professionals working in 3rd referral structures
- 80 healthcare professionals working in 2nd referral structures
- 2,250 patients in total with diabetes and TB or diabetes and HIV who will have access to better quality care
- 5,000 people with diabetes will have access to HIV and TB awareness
- 10,000 PLWHIV will have access to awareness raising on the risk factors for diabetes and TB.
This program is supported by the 5PC Initiative.
Download the presentation sheet 2 for more information on this program.
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