Cabo Verde's Bold Health Vision: Tackling Key Challenges for 2024–2028

Cabo Verde's Country Cooperation Strategy 2024–2028, in partnership with the World Health Organization, addresses pressing health challenges like noncommunicable diseases, mental health, and workforce shortages. The strategy focuses on strengthening health governance, improving digital health systems, and building resilience against emergencies and climate change. This comprehensive plan, developed with the input of over 50 stakeholders, aims to enhance the quality of healthcare across Cabo Verde.

Cabo Verde, a small island nation known for its stable political climate and rising middle-income status, is setting an ambitious course to improve its healthcare system over the next five years. The Country Cooperation Strategy 2024–2028, developed in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), addresses key health challenges and lays out a strategic roadmap to strengthen the country's healthcare infrastructure. This plan focuses on six priority areas, ranging from combating noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) to modernizing digital health systems, with a vision of healthier and more resilient communities.

A Growing Burden: Addressing Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health

Cabo Verde has made remarkable strides in its healthcare system since its independence in 1975, particularly in primary healthcare. However, the country now faces an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, diabetes, and mental health disorders. More than 57 percent of deaths in Cabo Verde are linked to NCDs, a staggering figure for a nation of just under 500,000 residents.

The Country Cooperation Strategy outlines several measures to combat these challenges. One of the core focuses is on reducing risk factors for NCDs, such as unhealthy diets, tobacco use, and harmful alcohol consumption. Cabo Verde has already implemented tobacco control measures and passed new laws to reduce alcohol abuse. The plan also aims to integrate mental health services more effectively into the primary care system and address rising suicide rates. By promoting healthier lifestyles and improving public health literacy, the WHO and the Cabo Verdean government hope to curb the country’s growing NCD crisis.

Building Health Workforce and System Resilience

One of the most pressing issues facing Cabo Verde’s health sector is the shortage of qualified healthcare professionals, particularly specialists. The government has increased the number of healthcare workers from 59 to 68 per 10,000 residents between 2019 and 2021, but this is still below WHO’s recommended ratio. The Country Cooperation Strategy emphasizes the importance of training more healthcare workers, particularly in specialized fields and improving the distribution of health professionals across the country's islands.

The strategy also places a strong focus on health system resilience, especially in the face of emergencies and climate change. As a small island developing state (SIDS), Cabo Verde is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including rising sea levels and extreme weather events. These challenges, along with epidemic-prone diseases, require a health system that can adapt quickly and efficiently. The strategy includes measures to strengthen emergency preparedness, improve surveillance systems, and integrate climate change adaptation into the health sector.

Digital Health and Private Sector Integration: Modernizing for the Future

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, digital health has become a cornerstone of modern healthcare systems. Cabo Verde’s Country Cooperation Strategy recognizes this and prioritizes the modernization of the country’s health information system (HIS). By leveraging digital tools, the country aims to streamline patient data management, improve service delivery, and expand telemedicine, which is critical for reaching residents on remote islands.

In addition to digital health innovations, the strategy highlights the need for stronger governance and integration of the private health sector. Currently, the private health sector in Cabo Verde operates with limited coordination with the public sector. By fostering a more collaborative relationship, including clearer policies and frameworks for public-private partnerships, the government hopes to enhance healthcare services and reduce the burden on public facilities.

Collaboration for Success: Partnerships and Long-Term Goals

Collaboration is key to the success of Cabo Verde’s health strategy. The Country Cooperation Strategy 2024–2028 was developed through consultations with over 50 stakeholders, including government agencies, academic institutions, and international organizations. The strategy aligns with Cabo Verde’s National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development 2022–2026 and the global health goals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). WHO will allocate 80 percent of its technical and financial resources to advancing the six priority areas identified in the strategy.

The effectiveness of the plan will be measured through regular evaluations and biennial work plans, ensuring that the country remains on track to meet its health goals. By focusing on long-term improvements in healthcare governance, workforce training, and digital health technologies, Cabo Verde is positioning itself to tackle its most significant health challenges.

A Healthier Future for Cabo Verde

As Cabo Verde moves forward with its Country Cooperation Strategy 2024–2028, it aims to create a healthcare system that is more inclusive, resilient, and equipped to handle both current and future challenges. From reducing the burden of NCDs to embracing digital health technologies, this comprehensive plan is set to transform the nation’s healthcare landscape, improving the quality of life for all Cabo Verdeans.

The strategy's success will rely heavily on continued collaboration with international partners like WHO, as well as sustained political commitment from the Cabo Verdean government. As the nation takes steps toward these ambitious health goals, the next five years will prove critical in shaping a healthier, more sustainable future for Cabo Verde.