Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death globally. In 2012, they caused 68% of all deaths (38 million). In Kenya, there is no accurate data for people living with NCDs, but estimates show that more than 50% of patients admitted in Kenyan hospitals are due to NCDs, and contributes to more than 55% of deaths. Formerly taken as a disease with high impact on developed nations, a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that NCDs cases are on a sharp spike in developing countries.

For many years, patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Embu County, Central Kenya could only access services in the apex hospital of the county. This meant that many had to endure long and costly journeys to the main referral hospital, which was also in itself congested due to the high number of patients having to be seen.

In 2017, MSF started a program in Embu, to integrate medical care for patients living with NCDs into primary health facilities, including dispensaries and primary health units, which are often the lowest medical facilities in the cascade, yet closest to patients. In this initiative, MSF developed and implemented a model of care for NCDs that is easy to scale up and that is duplicable by MSF and the Ministry of Health (MoH). The hands on mentorship and coaching approach allows for quality skills acquisition by mentees.

MSF focuses on five NCDs conditions namely asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and hypertension and other chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.