{"id":2156,"date":"2025-05-15T08:37:07","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T08:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/?p=2156"},"modified":"2025-07-22T15:04:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T15:04:55","slug":"closing-the-hypertension-gap-in-lmics-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/closing-the-hypertension-gap-in-lmics-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Closing the Hypertension Gap in LMICs: Why BP Monitoring Is Essential"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>World Hypertension Day 2025 | Theme: &#8220;Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-image uagb-block-8283beef wp-block-uagb-image--layout-default wp-block-uagb-image--effect-static wp-block-uagb-image--align-none\"><figure class=\"wp-block-uagb-image__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-ninthgrid-2149521550-30677591-LR-1024x683.jpg ,https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-ninthgrid-2149521550-30677591-LR-scaled.jpg 780w, https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-ninthgrid-2149521550-30677591-LR-scaled.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 150px\" src=\"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-ninthgrid-2149521550-30677591-LR-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Doctor Consultation with Blood Pressure Checkup in Lagos, Nigeria. Credit: Ninthgrid\" class=\"uag-image-2158\" width=\"4080\" height=\"2720\" title=\"pexels-ninthgrid-2149521550-30677591-LR\" loading=\"lazy\" role=\"img\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>High blood pressure (hypertension) remains <strong>one of the leading risk factors for cardiovascular disease and premature death worldwide<\/strong>. Yet in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), <strong>hypertension continues to go undetected, unmanaged, and untreated<\/strong> \u2014 contributing to avoidable complications like heart failure, stroke, and kidney disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite being largely preventable, an estimated <strong>1.28 billion adults globally<\/strong> are living with hypertension, with <strong>two-thirds residing in LMICs<\/strong>. Scaling accurate BP screening could prevent millions of premature deaths, reduce health system strain, and empower communities to take charge of their health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This World Hypertension Day, the global health community is reinforcing a simple yet life-saving message: Accurate blood pressure monitoring saves lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:25px\">Why Accurate BP Monitoring Matters for LMIC Health Systems<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Hypertension is a <strong>silent, escalating epidemic<\/strong> \u2014 often asymptomatic and overlooked. In LMICs, where health systems are under-resourced, routine blood pressure screening is still not a given. This is especially urgent when <strong>only 21% of people with hypertension have their blood pressure under control<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, many Ministries of Health and their partners face structural barriers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A <strong>lack of trained personnel<\/strong> at primary care level<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stockouts <\/strong>or <strong>poor-quality<\/strong> BP monitoring devices<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fragmented <\/strong>procurement systems<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Limited community outreach<\/strong> for chronic disease care<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Early detection and consistent monitoring are critical to bend the curve of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), reduce emergency care costs, and improve population health outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:25px\">Accurate BP Monitoring: The Foundation of Hypertension Control<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Globally, nearly <strong>46% of people with hypertension don\u2019t know they have it<\/strong>. This gap is even wider in many LMICs \u2014 a missed opportunity for prevention that is both tragic and solvable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why accurate, routine monitoring \u2014 including <strong>self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP)<\/strong> \u2014 is gaining global support as a cornerstone of hypertension control. Endorsed by the WHO, American Heart Association, and others, SMBP has proven to improve diagnosis, treatment adherence, and long-term outcomes. It&#8217;s especially relevant in LMICs, where access to health facilities may be limited and task-shifting to community health workers is essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today\u2019s innovations \u2014 from digital and portable upper-arm monitors to mobile-enabled diagnostic tools \u2014 are making this possible, even in hard-to-reach settings. These tools are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Easy to use in homes, clinics, and community outreach<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Able to support task-shifting to community health workers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vital for remote care, digital adherence support, and longitudinal NCD tracking<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Basic <strong>mHealth solutions<\/strong> further support this model by enabling health data capture, medication reminders, and remote follow-up, empowering both patients and frontline health workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evidence-based protocols recommend measuring blood pressure twice daily for at least seven consecutive days to get a reliable average. This requires access to quality devices, patient education, and consistent supply \u2014 all of which can be supported through system-level planning and procurement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:25px\">Enabling Scale-Up: Tools for Ministries of Health and Partners<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>A number of global and regional initiatives are helping LMICs strengthen their hypertension response through better diagnostics, training, and procurement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/9789240001367\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>WHO\u2019s HEARTS <\/strong>technical package<\/a> provides evidence-based strategies, simplified protocols, and a toolkit for BP control in primary care.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>PAHO <\/strong>and <strong>regional NCD programs<\/strong> offer adapted clinical guidelines and operational support.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>mHealth applications <\/strong>and platforms like DHIS2 facilitate treatment adherence, remote follow-up, and national data reporting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Procurement solutions \u2014 including <a href=\"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/\">NCDconnect <\/a><\/strong>\u2014 make it easier for governments and NGOs to access the right products at the right time, aligned with international standards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>By integrating these tools, LMIC health systems can move from fragmented efforts to <strong>a more coordinated and scalable hypertension response<\/strong> \u2014 one that connects guidelines, training, affordable access to quality devices, and supply chains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:25px\">NCDconnect: Enabling Practical Access to Quality BP Devices<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>As Ministries of Health and their partners seek to operationalise these tools, access to affordable, quality-assured BP monitoring devices remains a bottleneck. <strong>This is where NCDconnect adds tangible value.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Built for LMICs, NCDconnect is a <strong>digital procurement platform and ecosystem solution<\/strong> that offers access to tools that support task-shifting and wide outreach, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Upper-arm digital BP monitors<\/strong> for use in primary care, home-based care, and outreach settings<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Quality blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters<\/strong>, and other essential diagnostic tools. <strong>Devices selected to align with WHO\u2019s HEARTS specifications<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>By reducing procurement fragmentation, ensuring quality assurance, and offering reliable supply options leveraging <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idafoundation.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IDA Foundation<\/a>\u2019s 50 years of experience, <strong>NCDconnect supports health actors to scale their national hypertension efforts \u2014 from the clinic to the community level.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:25px\">4 Actions Your Organisation Can Take Today<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Prioritise BP Monitoring Devices<\/strong> in national essential diagnostics lists and NCD procurement plans.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Equip Community Health Workers<\/strong> with portable, user-friendly BP monitors for routine outreach.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Adopt Digital Solutions<\/strong> to support remote monitoring, patient follow-up, and health data tracking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthen Procurement Systems<\/strong> by working with partners like NCDconnect to consolidate orders and reduce costs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:25px;font-style:normal;font-weight:300\">Together, we can close the hypertension detection gap \u2014 one monitor, one patient, one system at a time.<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>If your organisation is working to improve hypertension screening and control in LMICs, we\u2019re here to help. <strong>NCDconnect supports your next procurement cycle, helps ensure continuity of supply, and enables you to implement national NCD strategies more effectively.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/contact-us-2\/\">Get in touch<\/a> to learn more about our catalogue of BP monitors, ordering process, and how we can partner to strengthen your hypertension response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a id=\"_msocom_1\"><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>World Hypertension Day 2025 | Theme: &#8220;Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer&#8221; High blood pressure (hypertension) remains one of the leading risk factors for cardiovascular disease and premature death worldwide. Yet in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), hypertension continues to go undetected, unmanaged, and untreated \u2014 contributing to avoidable complications like [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":2323,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[52,48,29],"tags":[20,21,40,17],"class_list":["post-2156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcare-systems","category-ncd-policy","category-news","tag-access-to-medicines","tag-medicine-procurement","tag-ncdconnect","tag-procurement"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15.png",400,200,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15-150x75.png",150,75,true],"medium":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15-300x150.png",300,150,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15.png",400,200,false],"large":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15.png",400,200,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15.png",400,200,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15.png",400,200,false],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15-18x9.png",18,9,true],"et-pb-post-main-image":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15.png",400,200,false],"et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15.png",400,200,false],"et-pb-portfolio-image":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15.png",400,200,false],"et-pb-portfolio-module-image":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15.png",400,200,false],"et-pb-portfolio-image-single":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15.png",400,200,false],"et-pb-gallery-module-image-portrait":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15.png",400,200,false],"et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth-large":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15.png",400,200,false],"et-pb-image--responsive--desktop":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15.png",400,200,false],"et-pb-image--responsive--tablet":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15.png",400,200,false],"et-pb-image--responsive--phone":["https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/15.png",400,200,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Esme Fowler-Mason","author_link":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/author\/esmefm\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"World Hypertension Day 2025 | Theme: &#8220;Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer&#8221; High blood pressure (hypertension) remains one of the leading risk factors for cardiovascular disease and premature death worldwide. Yet in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), hypertension continues to go undetected, unmanaged, and untreated \u2014 contributing to avoidable complications like&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2156"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2341,"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2156\/revisions\/2341"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}