Biogaran takes part in a vast screening operation for people over 60 in Guinea

Biogaran, France’s leading generic pharmaceutical company, has demonstrated its commitment to patient care in Guinea by taking an active part in the Caravane Santé 3ème Âge operation. This initiative by the Orange Guinea Foundation, in collaboration with Santé en Entreprise, enabled a wide-ranging campaign to raise awareness of cardio-metabolic pathologies among people over 60, particularly in the fight against diabetes and high blood pressure.  

This large-scale operation – carried out from May 2 to June 22, 2023 in 8 regions of Guinea – aimed to welcome 13,000 patients, mostly aged over 60, to raise their awareness of the risks posed by cardio-metabolic pathologies to their health. Screenings were also carried out with a view to follow-up and medical treatment. The results at the end of the two months were a major success in terms of the number of patients sensitized, with a total of 13,054 people welcomed for 12,709 patients screened.  

It should be noted that this operation follows on from the 2022 edition, carried out on a smaller sample and in just 4 regions. The previous edition had already welcomed 2,163 patients, of whom 2,009 were screened and 1,775 referred to a doctor for medical treatment. The results of the Caravane Santé 3ème Âge 2023 are therefore up sharply, enabling more than twice as many patients to be cared for.  

This initiative was made possible by the coordinated action of the Orange Guinea Foundation and Santé en Entreprise. Complementing each other, these two entities have acted on several levers to obtain approvals, organize and ensure rigorous follow-up of screened patients. As for Biogaran, the laboratory has taken part in the training of over 250 healthcare professionals – general practitioners, diabetologists, cardiologists, nurses, counsellors, pharmacists and prevention workers – and donated over 10,000 boxes of medicines to enable the medical management of screened patients. 

Amina Abou Khalil, General Administrator of the Orange Guinea Foundation, comments: “We are honored to have witnessed the effective mobilization of all stakeholders in the implementation of the 2nd edition of the Orange Guinea Foundation’s Caravane Santé 3ème Âge. Alongside the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene via the PNLMNT, our partners Biogaran, Kouma Academy and Sodipharm, and with the expertise of Santé en Entreprise, we were able to bear witness to the need to join forces to help improve the health of Guineans. A first in the Guinean health ecosystem, this project, the fruit of a public-private partnership, calls on us to educate the parties concerned, raise awareness of the importance of implementing a preventive policy, subsidize treatment and take action to curb these non-communicable diseases.”  

This operation comes against an alarming health backdrop: in 2021, diabetes affected 24 million people in Africa and killed more than 415,000 patients on the continent[1]. This figure is set to rise to 55 million by 2045, an increase of 129% on 2021, the highest growth rate in the world according to the World Health Organization and the International Diabetes Federation[2]. 

Indicators that reveal the need to carry out this type of initiative and screening in order to care for as many patients as possible. The results of the 2nd Caravane Santé 3ème Âge revealed some worrying figures: 69.52% of patients screened had high blood pressure, and 13.44% had fasting blood sugar levels above the normal range.  

Erick Maville, Managing Director of Santé en Entreprise, comments: “We would like to thank the Orange Guinea Foundation for its support for the 2nd edition of this structuring project, as well as Biogaran and all associated partners. Our thanks also go to all the teams involved, as well as to the participants who came forward to be screened, not forgetting the local media who widely disseminated the information. These results confirm the relevance of the integrated approach to diabetes and hypertension counselling and screening proposed by the Caravane Santé Afrique, which is fully supported by the health authorities and local populations. The dispensing of medicines and the provision of personalized post-caravan follow-up with the Visa Medical digital solution are added features which, to our knowledge, make this project a unique initiative in West Africa“.  

Thanks to the mobilization of all public and private stakeholders, this operation has raised awareness, screened and treated more than 10,000 Guinean patients, and trained more than 250 healthcare professionals. In this area, Biogaran has already been working for several years through the Biogaran Academy, a free continuing education program for healthcare professionals in the form of webinars organized every 2 months on a variety of health topics.  

Dr. Hassanatou Camara, Sales supervisor for Biogaran in Guinea, concludes: “Biogaran, alongside its partners, aims to support patients in Guinea and contribute to the improvement of the country’s healthcare – particularly in the cardiometabolic field. Our participation in the Caravane Santé 3ème âge is testimony to our concrete commitment in the field, where we bring our expertise and resources to raise awareness, screen early and offer effective solutions accessible to all. We would like to thank our partners for their trust and support in this initiative. We are convinced that access to quality care is a universal right, which is why we work, day after day, for patients’ health.”  

To find out which Biogaran medicines are available in Guinea, click here.

POI 0875-08/23 

More informations:  

www.africa.biogaran.com 

https://caravanes.santeenentreprise.com/guinee-conakry-caravane-3e-age-2023/ 

[1] IDF Diabetes Atlas, 10th Edition, International Diabetes Federation, 2021 

[2] Organisation Mondiale de la Santé : Les défis liés à la prévention et aux soins du diabète en Afrique