Hypertension and other chronic diseases affect over a billion people in low- and middle-income countries. Learn how the Global Health Advocacy Incubator strengthens primary care to close treatment gaps and bring life-saving care to millions: https://www.advocacyincubator.org/program-areas/health-systems-strengthening/primary-health-care
Picture this: you're living with high blood pressure, but you don't even know it. Or maybe you do know, but treatment is either too expensive, too far away, or simply not available. That's not just a "what if." That's the daily reality for more than a billion people worldwide living with hypertension and other noncommunicable diseases.
And this is where the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, or GHAI, comes in. They've expanded their primary care systems strengthening program to take on exactly this crisis—closing treatment gaps and giving millions of people access to care they wouldn't otherwise have.
Let's look at the scale of the challenge. The World Health Organization reports that in low- and middle-income countries, about five-hundred and eighty million people with hypertension remain undiagnosed. On top of that, seven-hundred and twenty million people who are diagnosed don't get proper treatment.
GHAI tackles these numbers head-on. They partner with local organizations, governments, and media to push for smart policies, provide technical expertise, and build the kind of advocacy movements that make change stick.
And we're already seeing results. In India, the government has launched a nationwide plan to treat 75 million hypertension and diabetes patients by 2025, with GHAI-supported strategies built right into the program.
In Bangladesh, essential hypertension medicines have been added to rural clinic drug lists, cutting down travel time and costs for patients who used to lose hours and even a day's wages just to get their medication. And in India again, two major states now have oversight committees in place to keep hypertension control on track.
So what's driving these wins? GHAI follows a three-pillar strategy: System quality and access: making sure treatment and care reach everyone; Political mobilization: building the political will to back affordable, evidence-based solutions; and sustainable funding: securing long-term investment, trained health workers, and reliable medical supplies.
GHAI, based in Washington, D.C., is an initiative of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Their work is already helping transform health systems in Bangladesh, India, and Nigeria, and the ripple effect is global. If you want to see how advocacy can change healthcare systems and save millions of lives in the process, just click on the link in the description. Global Health Advocacy Incubator City: Washington Address: 1400 I Street Northwest Website: https://www.advocacyincubator.org/