INTE-AFRICA · Project

Scalable Chronic Disease Screening and Management Models for African Healthcare Markets

healthTestedTRL 5Thin data (2/5)

In many parts of Africa, people only find out they have diabetes or high blood pressure after serious complications hit — which is both devastating and expensive. This project took what worked in small pilot clinics in Tanzania and Uganda and tried to roll it out across two large regions, moving routine care out of overcrowded hospitals and into local communities. Think of it like shifting from everyone driving to one big hospital to having neighborhood health stations handle the basics. They also looked at whether bundling diabetes and blood pressure care with existing HIV clinics made sense, since those clinics already know how to manage long-term patients.

By the numbers

consortium partners

countries involved

large regions tested (Tanzania and Uganda)

total project deliverables

The business problem

What needed solving

In sub-Saharan Africa, most people with diabetes or hypertension are diagnosed only after serious complications develop, leading to poor health outcomes and enormous costs for both patients and health systems. Current healthcare is concentrated in hospitals with scarce clinical staff, making routine chronic disease management nearly impossible at the scale needed.

The solution

What was built

The project reorganised primary healthcare services for diabetes and hypertension across 2 large regions in Tanzania and Uganda, created decentralised community-level care models to reduce hospital burden, established an expert advisory panel for sustainability assessment, and generated cost-effectiveness evidence comparing integrated care to standard approaches. A total of 16 deliverables were produced including clinical guidelines contributions.

Audience

Who needs this

mHealth and digital chronic disease management platforms targeting AfricaMedical device companies making portable glucose meters and blood pressure monitors for low-resource settingsMicroinsurance and health coverage providers building African market productsNGOs and development finance institutions funding NCD programmesPharmaceutical companies expanding diabetes and hypertension drug distribution in East Africa

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Digital Health & mHealth

SME

Target: Companies building chronic disease management platforms for emerging markets

If you are a digital health company looking to expand into sub-Saharan African markets — this project generated real-world evidence on what works when decentralising diabetes and hypertension care across 2 large regions in Tanzania and Uganda. Their data on patient retention, clinical outcomes, and cost-effectiveness could validate your platform's value proposition to health ministries and NGOs.

Medical Devices & Diagnostics

any

Target: Manufacturers of portable blood pressure monitors and glucose testing devices

If you are a medical device manufacturer targeting low-resource healthcare settings — this project tested decentralised screening at community level, moving diagnosis away from hospitals. Their findings on acceptability and patient volumes across 2 regions show the demand for affordable, portable diagnostic tools designed for community health workers rather than clinicians.

Health Insurance & Microinsurance

enterprise

Target: Insurance providers developing products for chronic disease coverage in Africa

If you are an insurance company building affordable health products for African markets — this project measured the cost-effectiveness of integrated chronic disease care compared to standard care. Their evidence that early screening prevents catastrophic costs for patients and health services directly supports the business case for chronic disease coverage products.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement these care models?

The project did not publish specific implementation cost figures in the available data. However, the research explicitly measured cost-effectiveness compared to standard care, so detailed health-economic data should be available in the project's final reports and publications. Contact the coordinator team for access.

Can this scale beyond Tanzania and Uganda?

The project was specifically designed to generate the research evidence needed by African health services to scale up nationally. With 10 partners across 6 countries and testing in 2 large regions, the models were built for replication. The consortium also worked on developing clinical guidelines to support broader adoption.

Is there any IP or licensing involved?

As a publicly funded Research and Innovation Action with 0 industry partners and an entirely academic consortium of 7 universities and 2 research organisations, the outputs are primarily clinical evidence and care delivery models rather than patentable technology. Results are likely openly published.

What clinical outcomes were measured?

The project evaluated blood pressure control, blood glucose control, numbers of patients treated and retained in care, and acceptability by patients and communities. These are standard clinical endpoints that health ministries and insurers recognise for policy decisions.

How does this relate to existing HIV programmes?

The project integrated diabetes and hypertension services with existing HIV clinics, leveraging the chronic care infrastructure already in place. This is significant because HIV programmes in Africa have well-established patient follow-up systems that can be extended to other long-term conditions.

What is the regulatory pathway?

This project focused on health service delivery models rather than regulated medical products. The care protocols and guidelines developed would need endorsement by national health ministries in target countries. The expert advisory panel established as part of the project was designed to support this policy adoption process.

Consortium

Who built it

The consortium of 10 partners across 6 countries (ES, IE, NO, TZ, UG, UK) is entirely non-commercial: 7 universities, 2 research organisations, and 1 other entity, with zero industry partners and zero SMEs. This is a classic academic-driven global health research consortium led by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. For a business looking to enter African chronic disease markets, this means the project produced rigorous clinical evidence but lacks commercial partnerships or go-to-market infrastructure. Any company wanting to build on these findings would need to establish their own commercial relationships with the research teams and health ministries involved.

LIVERPOOL SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINECoordinator · UK
UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIAparticipant · UK
NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCHparticipant · TZ
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, DUBLINparticipant · IE
FUNDACION PRIVADA INSTITUTO DE SALUD GLOBAL BARCELONAparticipant · ES
LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITYparticipant · UK
LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE ROYAL CHARTERparticipant · UK
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDONparticipant · UK
UNIVERSITETET I BERGENparticipant · NO

How to reach the team

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK — search for INTE-AFRICA project lead on the university website or ResearchGate

Order a report on this consortium See LIVERPOOL SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how INTE-AFRICA's chronic disease management evidence could support your market entry in African healthcare? Contact SciTransfer for a detailed briefing and introduction to the research team.

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