Africa Cardiac Care

Cardiovascular disease kills an estimated 17 million people each year worldwide, accounting for 22% of global mortality. In Africa, one in three women is affected, 12% of the population suffers from hypertension and 90,000 newborns die each year from congenital heart disease. This high mortality is mainly due to the shortage of cardiologists, poverty and the high cost of cardiac exams ($ 30 for an ECG). Cameroon has a population of 23 million and there are just 60 cardiologists who work only in large hospitals in cities. Rural hospitals have a limited budget and cannot buy ECG machines. Furthermore, patients living in remote areas loose time and money as they frequently travel to cities to reach medical specialists. As a result, fewer examinations take place and they happen too late, which impairs patient care and medical follow-up.

Last updated in September 2023

AFRICA CARDIAC CARE is a health program designed by HIMORE MEDICAL in partnership with many hospitals in Africa. Designed for low and middle-income Africans, this program offers subscribers the opportunity to receive four types of comprehensive cardiovascular examinations, annually unlimited (an electrocardiogram, blood pressure, blood glucose and oximetry) for 28,500 CFA francs (48 USD) per year in hospital, or 35,500 CFA francs (60 USD) for home care. This program is available as a service in many hospitals in rural and semi-rural areas. Once the patient has subscribed online or at one of the centers, they receive a smart card that will allow them to receive complete cardiac monitoring in all AFRICA CARDIAC CARE centres for 12 months. Each examination performed is interpreted remotely by a cardiologist assigned to the patient, who monitors them throughout the year.

Patients enrolled in the program benefit from low cost and unlimited cardiac exams throughout the year, allowing them to save money. Furthermore, the program is available at several centers. Thus, the patient is able to choose the center closest to where they live. Cardiac exams are carried out with a Cardiopad, which transfers the data to cardiologists. Cardiologists receive the data on their phones or tablets, and can interpret it and send information on diagnoses and prescriptions back to the nurses in caring for patients from a mobile app developed for the project. This allows cardiologists to monitor their patients remotely. Patients save time, money and take fewer risks on the roads, all while improving their medical follow-up care. Ultimately, it reduces the risk of heart attacks.

Today, Africa Cardiac Care is growing rapidly and is being optimised with a new set of indicators, 10 000 cardiovascular examinations in ten centres across the country. For this scale-up, new funding has been obtained.