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At IHP, we want to ensure that the healthcare access we enable through medical donations transcends short-term interventions and strengthens health systems to deliver enduring benefits to communities. That’s why we’re launching our new Sustainable Healthcare Initiative, which aims to provide funding support to targeted activities implemented by our partners to contribute more broadly to improved access to healthcare, in line with IHP’s charitable objectives and vision.

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In this approach, IHP can offer programme partners small grants to fund additional activities that will improve access to healthcare and complement the medical donations we provide, increasing our impact. Potential activities we hope to explore through the Sustainable Healthcare Initiative may include:

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Providing training for medical staff to improve healthcare service delivery and strengthen referral systems.

Delivering community health awareness/education/sensitisation activities that promote health-seeking behaviour.

Providing psychosocial services as part of wider mental health programming

Improving medical storage facilities.

Supplying needed diagnostic equipment.

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As part of this, we are pleased to launch our first pilot project in partnership with Health Improvement Project Zanzibar (HIPZ). Together, we will improve the management of cardiovascular disease (CVD), arising challenges in Zanzibar and many other low- and middle-income countries.

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Enhancing CVD management in Zanzibar

Non-communicable diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease, are increasing in Zanzibar. Nonetheless, access to timely diagnosis and treatment remains very limited, especially outside major hospitals. This care gap endangers thousands of lives each year.

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To tackle this urgent issue, IHP and HIPZ are initiating a five-month pilot project (July–December 2025) across eight district hospitals in Unguja and Pemba. These hospitals were carefully chosen to promote equitable access, reaching more than 1.3 million people who currently face substantial barriers to care.

This work will directly complement IHP’s medical donations. By improving diagnostic capacity and healthcare worker skills, the medicines supplied will be prescribed more effectively and used to greater impact, ensuring patients receive appropriate treatment at the right time.

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What the project will deliver:

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• Training frontline healthcare workers: Forty doctors and nurses will undergo practical training in ECG use, interpretation, and management of heart failure.

• Specialist development: Eight high-performing doctors, one from each hospital, will participate in intensive cardiology training at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute in Dar es Salaam, acquiring advanced diagnostic skills in ECG and ECHO.

• Mentorship and ongoing support: Weekly sessions led by a HIPZ cardiologist, radiologist, and physician will strengthen skills and aid real-world application within local hospitals.

• Establishing cardiology clinics: By the project's conclusion, eight new cardiology clinics will be operational, offering diagnosis and care to an estimated 960 patients in just three months.

• Strengthening access to medicine: IHP will supply essential cardiovascular medications to Zanzibar, ensuring that clinics are able to provide effective treatment alongside improved diagnostics.

Beyond immediate outcomes, this project has been designed with sustainability at its core. By investing in healthcare workers’ skills and equipping hospitals with vital diagnostic tools, the benefits will extend well beyond the project’s lifespan, reaching 1.8 million Zanzibaris and laying the groundwork for future specialist care.

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Looking ahead

The Zanzibar pilot marks the initial step in IHP’s broader Sustainable Healthcare Initiative programme. By collaborating with dedicated local partners like HIPZ, we are creating a model for scalable and sustainable impact that can be replicated for broader health system strengthening across Zanzibar and beyond

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