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Catalysing Innovation: EfD Commits $50,000 to Scale Proven Hypertension Care Program

We're delighted to announce a $50,000 matching grant commitment enabling the national scale-up of BP Sawa—Penda Health's comprehensive, low-cost hypertension care program across all facilities in Kenya.

This scale-up of a tested and impactful program will reach over 44,000 at-risk patients over the next 12 months, delivering life-expectancy improvements that will be self-sustaining beyond the grant period. This represents exceptional value and a model for replication across low- and middle-income country healthcare networks.

Building on Proven Success

In 2023, Penda Health piloted BP Sawa targeting the mass market with affordable, structured hypertension care. The results were outstanding:

  • 3,700 previously untreated hypertensive patients identified in under three months
  • 50%+ return rate for follow-up visits, up from a baseline of less than 3%
  • Clear demonstration of patient demand, clinical feasibility, and strong health impact

The model is built for sustainability. BP Sawa integrates seamlessly into Penda's electronic medical records system (originally funded by EfD), uses existing WhatsApp infrastructure for patient engagement, and combines AI-powered chatbots with structured clinical decision support. While the long-term business case is strong, the grant funding will provide upfront investment in systems development, staff training, and performance measurement to scale the pilot throughout all Penda branches responsibly.

A Proven, High-Leverage Care Cascade

The BP Sawa program uses a stepped-care approach that delivers value at every stage, with costs optimized through technology and integration into routine workflows:

  • 44,000 at-risk patients identified through routine BP screening
  • 40,000 receive behavioral outreach via WhatsApp
  • 26,000 engage in two-way counseling through chatbot and call-centre support
  • 20,000 receive confirmatory BP readings for diagnostic certainty
  • 15,600 complete lifestyle education for non-pharmaceutical risk reduction
  • 11,000 start evidence-based pharmacotherapy with initial consult and generics
  • 8,800 complete 3–6 month follow-up for longitudinal care
  • 5,300 achieve controlled blood pressure—averting disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)

Even patients who don't complete the full cascade benefit from risk awareness, counseling, and lifestyle education—making every dollar work across multiple impact tiers.

Financial Sustainability: Beyond Year One

The program's financial model demonstrates strong long-term viability:

Year 1: The grant covers fixed costs including training, quality supervision, patient engagement materials, technology integration, and implementation research.

Year 2 onward: Patient contributions from ongoing clinical services generate sustainable revenue. With fixed costs dropping significantly after initial build-out, the program becomes self-sustaining through routine clinical operations.

Penda Health is additionally co-investing toward point-of-care testing equipment, ensuring a 1:1 match for capital expenditure.

How the Funds Will Be Used

The grant supports six key areas focused on quality scale-up and sustainability:

  • Training & Capacity Building: Comprehensive clinician training across all branches
  • Clinical Quality Supervision: Weekly branch visits and data-driven coaching
  • Patient Awareness & Engagement: BP Sawa passports, clinic signage, and community outreach through paid social and radio
  • Technology Integration: AI chatbot and clinical decision support system development
  • Point-of-Care Testing Equipment: Lipid panels, HbA1c, and other diagnostic tools
  • Implementation Research: Mixed-methods study and open-access publication for knowledge sharing

Why This Represents Exceptional Value

  1. High-volume reach: Every adult patient automatically screened during routine visits—no separate outreach lists needed
  2. Technology leverage: AI and WhatsApp enable near-zero marginal costs for digital engagement at scale
  3. Stepped-benefit design: Patients gain value at every stage, even if they don't complete the full cascade
  4. Open knowledge-sharing: All chatbot scripts, clinical decision support prompts, and anonymized datasets will be published for replication across other LMIC healthcare networks
  5. Path to sustainability: Clear financial model demonstrating long-term viability beyond grant funding

Why This Matters

Hypertension is a leading driver of cardiovascular disease across sub-Saharan Africa, yet treatment rates remain critically low. BP Sawa demonstrates that structured, affordable care can achieve meaningful clinical engagement at scale—and at a cost point that makes universal coverage realistic.

By supporting this scale-up, EfD continues its mission to back high-impact, replicable innovations that strengthen primary healthcare systems where they're needed most. The open-source approach ensures lessons learned will benefit healthcare networks across the developing world.

For more information about this program or EfD's work, please contact [email protected].