Advancing the Cardiovascular Workforce in Africa to Tackle the Epidemic of Cardiovascular Disease: The Time is Now

Abstract

The African region is experiencing an epidemic of cardiovascular disease with dire consequences of increasing morbidity and mortality. Compared with high-income countries where older populations are most affected, the burden of CVD in Africa is higher in the younger populations, which hampers regional socioeconomic development. Strategies to increase and advance the cardiovascular workforce are urgently needed to help address this problem. This commentary highlights the critical lack of skilled cardiovascular healthcare professionals, including cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and cardiovascular nurses in the African region. Multilevel viable solutions to advance the cardiovascular workforce in Africa based on successful models in Africa are also presented.

Keywords

• africa
• cardiovascular disease
• health workforce
• health systems