The DAC project is a three-year project being implemented in Imo State and the FCT. Funded by the World Diabetes Federation, the project is being executed by the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Division of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation (HSDF). The project aims to achieve three major objectives in its implementing states:

1. Increase awareness of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
2. Improve access to type 2 diabetes mellitus care.
3. Improve the utilization of type 2 diabetes mellitus data.

To achieve the project’s second objective, project mentors coach and mentor frontline health workers every quarter. The third and last cycle of this onsite mentoring activity for this phase of the project in Imo State occurred between August 24 and September 8, 2021. 

At the end of the third cycle of mentoring visits, HSDF, in collaboration with the Imo State Ministry of Health (SMoH) convened a post mentorship debrief meeting on September 10, 2021, at the HSDF office, Owerri, Imo State. The meeting objectives were to discuss lessons learned, share insights, examine results from the mentoring cycles, and align on the next steps based on emerging insights from the mentorship activity.

The meeting had 12 people in attendance, including the NCD desk officer, Imo SMoH, Dr Precious Inyanga; Director of Community Health Services, Imo State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SPHCDA), Dr Emeka Okere, and other project mentors from the Imo SMoH and State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA).

Results

• The proportion of frontline healthcare workers who understand the current WHO classification of diabetes increased from 79% in the first mentoring cycle (in December 2020) to 93% in the third mentoring cycle (August – September 2021). See Figure 1 below.
• The proportion of health workers who can calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) of clients increased from 72% in the second mentoring cycle to 80% in the third mentoring cycle. However, there was a decline from 100% in the first mentoring cycle. This was attributed to a paucity of staff and high levels of staff attrition which have impacted facility data management processes.

Mentors acknowledged that the mentoring visits have afforded the Imo SMoH and SPHCDA an opportunity to glean insights, understand challenges and proffer solutions for implementing similar projects by the state and other implementing partners.

To sustain the gains of the mentoring visits, the SPHCDA plans to integrate the sensitization of type 2 diabetes mellitus into existing state programs such as the Saving One Million Lives program and routine immunization clinics.

By HSDF’s Public Health Advisory team. Specific contributors were Nonye Egekwu and Geoffrey Anyaegbu