Last week, Lusaka became the pulse point of African health thinking. Ministers, experts, and organisations streamed into the Mulungushi Centre for the 75th WHO Regional Committee for Africa. Posters lined the streets. Roads closed. You might’ve wondered, “Why all this fuss?” They can sound like they are only for doctors and policy makers. Yet the truth is that what was discussed here touches every one of us.
Two truths stood out. First: African nations are calling time on dependency. Too often we wait on donor handouts for medicine, funding, or clinics, and that leaves us exposed. Leaders at the conference stressed local manufacturing of medicines, stronger systems, and fresh domestic financing. As President Hichilema put it, “Independence cannot be real if a nation depends upon gifts.”
Second: health isn’t just about hospitals. It’s about daily habits, communities, and prevention. That was unmistakable during “Walk the Talk,” a six-kilometre walk through town; people, schoolchildren and health workers on foot, raising awareness about Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
Now, let’s bring it home. Zambia didn’t just host; it reflected a reality we all share: the biggest threats to our health today aren’t only malaria or cholera, but enduring conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, sickle cell, and heart disease. These NCDs are quietly reshaping our families and communities.
In Zambia, one in three adults with diabetes does not even know they have it. That means thousands of people are walking around with high blood sugar without realising the damage being done to their bodies. Hypertension (high blood pressure) is even more widespread, often detected only after it has already caused a stroke or kidney failure. Cancer and sickle cell disease add more weight to this growing burden. When we add them all together, NCDs are now responsible for more than a third of deaths in Africa, and the numbers are rising. By 2030, they are expected to become the leading cause of death on the continent.
That is not just a statistic; it is a reality in our households. Many of us have an uncle who collapsed from a stroke, or a neighbour on dialysis, or a cousin battling breast cancer. As someone living with Type 1 Diabetes myself, I do not need a policy paper to tell me how hard it is to manage a condition day after day. I know what it feels like to inject insulin in public, or to experience a dangerous low blood sugar while trying to stay productive at work. These are not abstract problems. They are lived ones.
So what did the WHO conference offer us? On the technical side, there were updates about the PEN-Plus model, which is being expanded in 20 African countries, including some of our neighbours. This model brings care for serious NCDs out of central hospitals and into district clinics, closer to where people live. More than 15,000 patients are already benefitting from this approach across Africa. It is not yet everywhere in Zambia, but the conversation happening in Lusaka means it is firmly on the table.
There was also emphasis on data. If you cannot measure the problem, you cannot solve it. Surveys across 18 countries are now giving a clearer picture of who is affected, at what ages, and in which communities. Zambia has participated in some of these surveys, and the results confirm what we feel in our bones: hypertension and diabetes are not “city problems” only; they reach into villages and townships alike.
And then there was the walk. I keep returning to it because it matters. For me, the sight of hundreds of ordinary Zambians walking with leaders and health workers said something powerful: NCDs are not a private shame, and prevention is not complicated. A brisk walk, a healthy plate of food, less alcohol, a regular check-up; these are not mysteries. They are small, daily acts that can keep us stronger. When I saw so many of us out in the masses bright and early, I thought: this is how we should talk about health. Not as something distant, but as something we do together.
Of course, a walk alone will not fix the health system. We need more than symbolism. We need reliable access to insulin, affordable blood pressure medicines, cancer screening in rural clinics, and education in schools that speaks our languages and cultures. We need health budgets that match the scale of the problem. Zambia has recently increased health spending from 7% to 12% of its national budget, an encouraging move, but too often the money can be swallowed by other priorities. The challenge is to make sure NCDs are not left behind, even as we continue fighting malaria, cholera, and infectious outbreaks.
So how does this conference trickle down to the everyday Zambian? It should mean that when your mother checks her blood pressure at the clinic, the cuff is working. It should mean that when your cousin with sickle cell goes for treatment, the medicines are available. It should mean that if you are living with diabetes, you can find insulin without begging or borrowing. These are the very ordinary ways in which a global meeting becomes local reality.
Health is often spoken of in big words and long reports. But at its heart, it is simple. It is the ability to live, work, and care for your family without constant interruption from illness. It is the chance to watch your children grow up without being held back by preventable disease.
The WHO Africa conference in Lusaka may have looked like a parade of suits and protocols, but its real meaning is this: health is our right, our responsibility, and our shared future. If we walk together, literally and figuratively, we can make NCDs less of a silent killer and more of a manageable challenge. The walk was just the beginning. The steps after it are up to us.
(Kaajal Vaghela is a wellness entrepreneur, sportswear designer, and diabetes health consultant with over three decades of lived experience managing Type 1 diabetes. Having previously served as Chairperson of the Lusaka branch of the Diabetes Association of Zambia, she remains a passionate advocate for breaking down myths and building awareness about diabetes. For more information, visit: www.kaajalvaghela.com and for any feedback: [email protected])
