In Kenya, the In Reach Africa project has been launched with the goal of improving general healthcare.
As reported by Asoko Insight, the project comprises a range of elements that aim to add value to ‘overall health systems, in an effort to drive access to care, support with the development of innovative health solutions, creating community based partnerships and raising awareness around key disease areas as well as prevention mechanisms’.
Africa accounts for 75% of global non-communicable disease (NDC) related deaths. With a focus on NDCs (including diabetes and cancer) and empowering individuals, the project includes activities and workshops, among which is the Making More Health (MMH) Accelerator programme. MMH provides support to social health entrepreneurs, enabling them to provide better-quality healthcare.
In Reach Africa is an initiative of German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. ‘We need to commit ourselves as an organisation to working together with all other healthcare players to build an infrastructure that is sustainable,’ says Enrique Manzoni, Boehringer Ingelheim regional managing director, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, who adds that therapies need to be made available in remote areas.
The company has plans to expand the project to Nigeria, Ghana and several other African countries.