Over 67 million screenings – AstraZeneca’s ‘Healthy Heart Africa’ celebrates 10 years of transforming Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) care

AstraZeneca’s (www.AstraZeneca.com) flagship health equity programme - Healthy Heart Africa (HHA), marks its 10th anniversary, celebrating successfully taking over 67 million blood pressure screenings and a decade of action against non-communicable diseases across Africa.

Hypertension is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and accounts for a significant portion of noncommunicable disease (NCD) deaths globally. In Africa, over 27% of adults live with hypertension[1], far above the global average.

Since its launch, HHA has conducted over 67 million blood pressure screenings, trained over 11,700 healthcare workers, and activated over 1,550 healthcare facilities across nine African countries in Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Rwanda, Nigeria and Tanzania including the Island of Zanzibar. These efforts have significantly improved access to hypertension diagnosis and treatment, saving countless lives.

Ruud Dobber, Executive Vice President and President, BioPharmaceuticals Business Unit, AstraZeneca, said: “Healthy Heart Africa epitomises AstraZeneca’s commitment to equitable healthcare. In a decade, we’ve empowered millions to manage their heart health. Now, we’ve expanded to tackle chronic kidney disease, ensuring greater resilience in health systems across the continent.”

The programme has started addressing chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is closely linked to hypertension and affects 15.8% of Africans.[2] Early detection and management are critical, as CKD often progress silently. HHA aims to improve access to timely diagnosis and treatment, reducing the burden of this disease across communities.

This commemoration sets the stage for the upcoming World Health Organization’s High-Level Meeting on NCDs[3], reinforcing the urgency of collective action. One facet of the programme’s success is built on strong partnerships with governments, NGOs, and community leaders to deliver culturally tailored interventions.

Helen McGuire, Global Program Leader, PATH, added:

"Working on the Healthy Heart Africa (HHA) programme with AstraZeneca has been truly transformative. Seeing the scale-up and institutionalisation of integrated and expanded NCD services, particularly in countries like Ghana, has been immensely rewarding. The introduction of NCD indicators into national health information systems represents a major milestone, enabling better planning, resource allocation, and outcome monitoring."

Ministries of Health across Africa have championed HHA’s integration of hypertension care into national policies, ensuring sustainability and local ownership.

Permanent Secretary Uganda Ministry of Health, Dr Diana Atwine Kanzira, said:

“In Uganda, our partnership with Healthy Heart Africa has been instrumental in strengthening our response to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), now a major health challenge across Africa. Through this collaboration, we have raised awareness on risk factors, enhanced early detection, linked patients to care, and built the capacity of healthcare workers. By integrating hypertension data into our national health system and advancing digitalization, we are ensuring a seamless patient pathway, enabling progress tracking, and delivering life-saving care to our people.”

With its proven model – the Healthy Heart Africa programme aims to expand to new regions, integrating climate-resilient healthcare solutions and prioritising early detection to prevent disease progression. Through such innovative partnerships, the programme aims to deliver care to those most in need.


AstraZeneca Data on File: Total Programme Numbers Since Start in 2014 to the end of December 2024

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