Broader range of non-communicable diseases targeted including chronic kidney disease; Programme growing across Africa, 54 million blood pressure screenings to date.

AstraZeneca has set out a new ambition for Healthy Heart Africa[1] (https://apo-opa.co/4aFDwf9), its flagship health equity initiative, to target a broader range of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including chronic kidney disease (CKD) as well as hypertension and cardiovascular disease. The expanded programme will also launch in Egypt, reaching even more patients across the continent.

At the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) during an event co-hosted with the Ministry of Health for Uganda, AstraZeneca announced that the expanded Healthy Heart Africa programme will be operational in Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda by the end of 2025.

Launched in 2014, Healthy Heart Africa was established to address the increasing burden of cardiovascular diseases in Africa. The programme aims to improve health outcomes, with a focus on increasing awareness of the symptoms and risks of hypertension; providing health education and access to early screening and treatment; and delivering training to healthcare providers. This supports health system resilience by relieving the social and economic burden arising from late-stage treatment and care of cardiovascular and related diseases.

Over the past decade, the programme has conducted more than 54 million blood pressure screenings and trained more than 11,400 healthcare workers. By March 2024, the programme achieved its initial ambition to reach 10 million people with elevated blood pressure, nearly two years ahead of target.

HE Dr Jean Ruth Aceng Ocero, Minister of Health for The Republic of Uganda, said:  “As we confront the burden of non-communicable diseases in Uganda, which account for 36% of deaths and 81,300 annual mortalities[2] (https://apo-opa.co/3wORaib), it is imperative to strengthen our health systems. With a 21% probability of premature mortality from NCDs[3] (https://apo-opa.co/3UVfmrb), resilient health systems are crucial for early detection and effective management.”

HE Dr Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control, said: “The rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Africa, which have increased from 24% in 2000 to 37% in 2019 of all deaths[4] (https://apo-opa.co/4aDptXr), highlights the urgent need for comprehensive and coordinated action. Supporting Member States to integrate NCD prevention and control into primary healthcare and strengthen multisectoral coordination on NCDs are among the priority interventions for the African CDC.”

Ruud Dobber, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals Business Unit, AstraZeneca, said: “The public and private sectors must work hand in hand to address the escalating burden of NCDs and ensure more equitable and sustainable health outcomes for patients across Africa and beyond. Heart and kidney health are often interconnected, and with earlier diagnosis, intervention and treatment of cardiorenal diseases, we have a tremendous opportunity to prevent life-threatening complications, and reduce the economic and environmental impact of disease across the continent.”

HE Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Population for Egypt, said: “With the links between climate change and noncommunicable diseases like heart and kidney disease, it is becoming increasingly clear that we must act urgently to adapt our health systems to deal with this reality. Egypt is proud to be joining the Healthy Heart Africa program as part of our steadfast commitment to improving the health and well-being of all Egyptians. Through the signed Letter of Intent, we will be able to improve CKD public awareness, enhance early screening and diagnosis, support training for our HCPs, digitalize CKD healthcare management and update our local management protocols in line with the latest global standards.”

At the event, global leaders in NCD care, including Ministers of Health for Uganda, Ethiopia and Egypt, as well as high-level representatives from the Africa CDC, the World Health Organization, PATH, Amref and patient advocacy groups, committed to tackle the growing burden of NCDs in Africa, emphasising the importance of early detection, evidence-based treatments, and the effective implementation of public-private partnerships such as Healthy Heart Africa.

AstraZeneca reinforced its focus on taking a public-private partnership approach to deliver Healthy Heart Africa’s goals by signing Memorandums of Understanding with the Ministries of Health from Egypt, Uganda, and Ghana. The programme supports Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.4[5] (https://apo-opa.co/3VjybVh) to reduce by one third premature mortality from NCDs through prevention and treatment by 2030.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AstraZeneca.

Contacts:
For Media enquiries, contact
mediamea@astrazeneca.com

Notes:
About Healthy Heart Africa:
Healthy Heart Africa is AstraZeneca’s flagship health equity programme that partners with governments, healthcare providers, and local communities to tackle the growing social and economic burden of heart and kidney diseases. By strengthening health systems through capacity building, better screening, diagnostics, and establishing evidence-based treatment protocols, the programme aims to reduce costs and lower emissions, addressing the interconnected nature of heart and kidney diseases.

About AstraZeneca:
AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal&Metabolism, and Respiratory&Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit AstraZeneca.com and follow the Company on social media @AstraZeneca.

To help bring ongoing relief to thousands of people affected by Morocco’s devastating Marrakesh–Safi earthquake last year, Xylem’s Watermark volunteers (www.Xylem.com) are working with Moroccan NGOs to deliver mobile water stations to impacted regions.

Working with NGO groups such as Amis des école, Xylem Watermark deployed several AquaBlock systems, an advanced emergency water system developed by global NGO Planet Water Foundation. Each AquaBlock can generate 1,500 litres per hour, which supports the daily drinking water requirements of up to 10,000 people.

On Friday, 8 September 2023, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck the country’s centre, less than 100 kilometres south of the major city of Marrakesh. The Marrakesh-Safi earthquake, also called the Al Haouz earthquake wrought widespread devastation, affecting over two million people, and causing more than 3,000 deaths, sadly leaving tens of thousands without access to shelter and basic facilities.

Relief agencies and volunteers, including Watermark, Xylem’s social investment group, sprung to action. By October, Xylem had begun contributing to the purchase and delivery of AquaBlock systems to the affected areas, collaborating with local NGOs and several Watermark volunteers who worked a collective 152 hours to ensure the AquaBlock systems delivered drinkable water to those in need.

“Water is one of the most critical needs at a disaster site,” says Hassan Ourkia, Sales Engineer at Xylem Africa. “It’s crucial for hydration, cooking food, hygiene, sanitation, and medical services. During a disaster such as an earthquake, major infrastructure damage means it can take months to reliably deliver clean water to affected areas. Meanwhile, the lack of clean water aggravates relief efforts and creates serious risks of water-borne diseases such as cholera. Xylem supports AquaBlock systems and brings them to countries like Morocco because we know they make an enormous difference.”

Xylem is committed to delivering AquaBlock systems to the disaster-struck areas, both through AquaBlocks funded directly by Xylem Watermark and via other means, such as logistical support. For example, Xylem collaborates with Planet Water to identify applicable sites, and deliver and install AquaBlock units, including systems funded by other companies. To date, Xylem and Planet Water have deployed six AquaBlocks to the disaster area.

Even though more than six months have passed since the Marrakesh-Safi earthquake, much still needs to be done to help the disaster victims recover. Xylem and its partners are still at work and continue to revisit the situation, including on-site inspections, to find new and novel ways to improve prospects for the region’s people.

“Through this response we learned the true importance of collaboration, as our Xylem Morocco team and local NGO partner, Amis des Ecoles, provided essential on-the-ground intelligence and expertise that enabled our global Humanitarian Disaster Response team and partner Planet Water to mobilise and import water treatment technology that continues to benefit communities impacted by the Earthquake, today,” said Emma Housman – Manager, Community&Social Impact at Xylem Inc.

This approach forms part of Xylem’s social pillar: to work together and create a world where reliable, clean water is available to anyone who needs it. Whether it’s a natural disaster or another cause behind reduced water security, Xylem aims to be there and support those people and organisations who want to secure clean water for all.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Xylem.

By iiDENTIFii (https://iiDENTIFii.com/) CEO and co-founder Gur Geva. 

When it comes to accessing essential services, such as national medical care, grants and the ability to vote in elections to shape national policy, a valid identity document is critical. 

In South Africa, undocumented citizens are restricted in their ability to collect social grants or go to a hospital. Even those with valid IDs spend hours in queues owing to inefficient and protracted identification processes.

Faster, digitised services would have a transformative impact on the level of financial inclusion of the country’s citizens. iProov’s report (https://apo-opa.co/3VfYD37), “Unlocking financial inclusion with digital identity and biometric verification,” emphasises that digital identity programmes open essential pathways for the unbanked and disenfranchised to access financial and welfare services and, in the case of governments, offer a reduced administrative burden and increased economic growth.

In theory, the positive impact is evident, but how can South Africa with its infrastructural challenges and high levels of inequality put this verification system into practice?

The challenge

An estimated 500 million (https://apo-opa.co/4aFwdEf) people in Africa are living without any form of valid legal identification. In response to this crisis, the African Union Commission is working on an initiative (https://apo-opa.co/3KmsnVP) to develop an interoperability framework for digital identity. The need for this is clear.

In South Africa, for example, lengthy identification processes see citizens queueing for up to three hours to renew a driver’s license. Many people (https://apo-opa.co/452hke4) leave their homes in the dark and queue from dawn for their social security grants only to be turned away when the queue is cut because of system failures.

In an address to Parliament (https://apo-opa.co/3wU9pCU), Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Home Affairs of South Africa, states that the main reason for the long queues lies in the State Information Technology (SITA) system often being down. The DHA relies on SITA for connectivity, especially in rural villages. Branch Appointment System (BAPS) kiosks that facilitate the live capture of IDs and passports have been set up to bridge this gap. While these efforts are useful, digital identity could transform these processes, whittling down lengthy queues by authenticating identity in a matter of seconds.

In fact, South Africa is pursuing digital identity in some form, through the form of a Smart ID card that stores face and fingerprint biometrics. However, this pioneering initiative is being held back by a restrictive, lengthy onboarding process. Smart ID cards can only be issued from a selection of offices with a ‘live capture system’ as well as through certain banks that use the system in-house. This is not enough to implement secure digital identity at scale.

Reframing the identity conversation

Many of South Africa’s challenges stem from systemic inequality. This inequality in access across gender, location and education lines has real implications for identity management (https://apo-opa.co/3KmsnVP). For this reason, the conversation needs to shift from identity being an administrative tool to identity being an essential human right (https://apo-opa.co/3KmsnVP).

Whether a person is applying for legal employment, registering at an address, setting up a phone contract, or opening a bank account, a proven identity that can be authenticated is an essential part of the process. Widespread, effective digital identification benefits citizens and generates significant economic value for governments and financial institutions as well.

As a result, a growing number of governments are teaming up with organizations worldwide to develop digital identity programmes that are not only convenient, but open up essential pathways for previously disadvantaged or marginalized individuals to help them access financial and welfare services.

Ground-breaking identity verification in practice

iProov and iDENTIFii have seen the positive impact of Dynamic Liveness Technology in delivering fast, secure and effortless passive face biometric authentication. In addition to being a strong digital alternative to historic forms of identity verification, its anti-spoofing technology is also effective in detecting and protecting against future cyber threats. The U.S. Federal Government lists iProov as a Synthetic Identity Fraud Mitigation Provider and government clients include the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the UK Home Office, the Australian Tax Office, and GovTech Singapore.

The UK Home Office EU Settlement Scheme, a digital application process for EEA nationals living in the UK post-Brexit, is a powerful example of the impact of digital identity on public services. The scheme was developed by iProov, WorldReach Software, and InnoValor, and provides a simple, secure, and usable solution for applicants to apply for settlement status online. The app includes key features such as remote identity documentation checking using NFC or OCR, and biometric identity authentication via iProov’s Dynamic Liveness technology. The app has been extremely successful, with over 4.2 million applications completed, high levels of identity assurance, and an average satisfaction rating of 4.1 stars.

How open are citizens to digital identity?

The Digital Transformation Strategy (https://apo-opa.co/3KmsnVP) for Africa (2020-2030) highlights both the potential social and economic implications of digital IDs for Africans, noting that digital IDs not only support social development, but also enable meaningful participation in productive processes to generate economic growth, spur innovation, and support entrepreneurship. Besides being viewed as an enabler for realising all these policy objectives, digital IDs are seen as critical for the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Digital identity programmes can bridge the identity gap by being accessible through even basic smartphones, thus eliminating barriers such as cost and complex application processes that often require travel. A case in point is the European Union Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW) a decentralised, interoperable digital tool that aims to provide all 447 million EU citizens with the ability to easily store and exchange identity documents and credentials securely, while having full control over their data. Using identity verification will see important public and private services, such as online government services, online banking, remote prescriptions, and SIM registration become significantly more accessible.

The importance of inclusive and safe digital identity

For South Africans to truly embrace and reap the rewards of digital identity, accessibility and security are two critical factors government and other essential service providers must consider.

Adopting accessible verification models maximises inclusivity of digital identity programmes. Traditional remote verification methods, such as video calls or passwords, lack user convenience and may exclude individuals with language barriers or disabilities. By contrast, biometric face verification uses a front-facing camera and does not rely on the end user’s technical abilities.

Security is also key as these initiatives must provide the maximum number of people with digital identities and financial access, while consistently mitigating the risks of cybersecurity threats. As with any technology that enables access to a broad range of secured data and financial services, there is a risk of digital identities being compromised for fraud, money laundering, or other illicit activities.

With generative AI contributing towards the sophistication of tools such as deepfakes, this risk is higher and the crime is easier to perpetrate than ever before. Liveness confirms that the person verifying their identity exists and is a live human being with the right to access the online account or service. It also assures that it is a real person and not a photo or mask or other presentation attack. It does not protect against scalable digital attacks like deepfake where synthetic images can be injected into device sensors.

Successful digital identity schemes, such as Estonia’s, yield economic benefits for the government and businesses, and demonstrate the positive impact of such initiatives. Similarly, as the European Union’s (EU) initiative progresses, other nations can learn valuable lessons from them and adopt strategies that foster a society characterised by enhanced inclusivity and economic prosperity.

Looking forward

While the local government is still rolling out digital identity, the financial services industry in South Africa has been an early adopter. Not only has it proven the ability of digital identity to be more efficient and safer, but it has also shown that it is possible to use biometrics at scale.

Several of iiDENTIFii’s South African banking clients have been able to address downtime issues by using subsequent authentication. iiDENTIFii has prioritised this based on the understanding that an authentication process that keeps customers secure and engaged, is a successful one. For this reason, its platform is able to process individuals by storing their reference templates and enabling subsequent authentication. If financial institutions and the government collaborate in digitising government systems, it could make true financial inclusion and accessible digital identity at scale a reality, in a way that reaches all South Africans.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of iiDENTIFii.

About iiDENTIFii: 
iiDENTIFii (https://iiDENTIFii.com/) is an award-winning face authentication and identity verification platform that distinguishes itself through its use of 3D and 4D Liveness® detection. Purpose-built for enterprises across Africa and the Middle East, iiDENTIFii enables frictionless, scalable customer onboarding in seconds from anywhere and on any device. Founded in 2018, iiDENTIFii has become a proven key partner in multiple tier 1 African banks. The technology plugs seamlessly into existing infrastructures, including mobile and web-based platforms.