Preventive NCDs & Primary Chronic Care

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension and diabetes are silently becoming the leading cause of premature death among adults in Nigeria. In low-income communities, most people live with these conditions undiagnosed — presenting only when they have had a stroke, heart failure, diabetic foot, or kidney damage, because routine screening is unaffordable and not accessible. Open Health Foundation is responding with a preventive and continuity-of-care model. 1. Hypertension & Diabetes Screening and Long-Term Management. Mobile Screening Drives: We take screening to where people are — markets, mosques, churches, schools, and motor parks. Our team checks blood pressure, blood sugar, BMI, and cardiovascular risk, and provides immediate health education. Enrollment into Care: Every person diagnosed is enrolled into our NCD register and given a personalized, low-cost management plan. This includes scheduled clinic follow-ups, affordable essential medicines, lifestyle and nutrition counseling, and treatment adherence support through our digital EHR and SMS reminders. Prevention of Complications: Through early detection and consistent management, we prevent costly complications, reduce hospital admissions, and save lives. High-risk patients are linked to specialist care when needed. This model shifts care from crisis response to prevention and long-term control. 2. Family Medicine & General Surgery. As a comprehensive primary care center, we serve as the first and trusted point of care for families: Family Medicine: Daily outpatient consultations for all age groups, preventive check-ups, health education, and family-centered continuity of care. Emergency Services: 24-hour emergency triage, stabilization, and observation for accidents, acute medical conditions, asthma attacks, and obstetric emergencies — critical in a community with limited emergency access. Operating Theaters: Our facility is equipped with functional operating theaters providing safe, affordable essential surgeries. These include emergency C-sections, hernia repairs, appendectomies, and other minor and major procedures performed by qualified doctors under safe anesthesia. Our Goal: To reduce premature deaths from NCDs through proactive screening and affordable lifelong care, while ensuring families have access to quality, emergency, and surgical care without financial catastrophe. This directly contributes to SDG 3.4 — reducing premature mortality from NCDs by one third — and SDG 3.8 — achieving Universal Health Coverage.