Working together for better chronic care

A shared vision across borders

Chronic conditions don’t affect everyone equally. For individuals living with multiple long-term health issues, the burden is often magnified by fragmented health systems, unequal access to services, and significant socioeconomic barriers. These factors create obstacles that extend far beyond a medical diagnosis, impacting quality of life and overall well-being.

To address this reality, the MULTIPULM project is building a digital care ecosystem to enhance integrated care for patients with chronic respiratory diseases in Brazil, Serbia, and Türkiye. But tackling such a widespread issue cannot be done alone. A powerful new alliance has formed to take on one of global health's biggest challenges, and MULTIPULM is part of this larger, collaborative ecosystem united by a shared mission.

A shared mission: the global alliance for chronic diseases (GACD)

MULTIPULM is one of five cutting-edge projects selected under the HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-13-01 call to generate evidence and solutions. This call is a key part of the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) initiative, which provides a crucial framework for this collaboration.

The overarching goal is to improve equitable, effective, and coordinated chronic care, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations. This includes those in low- and middle-income countries or disadvantaged groups in higher-income settings. This shared objective is the foundation upon which this international partnership is built.

Who we are - and who we are working with

At its core, MULTIPULM is building a digital care ecosystem that enhances integrated management for patients suffering from chronic respiratory diseases and multimorbid conditions in Brazil, Serbia, and Türkiye. 

But we are not alone.

Alongside MULTIPULM, four other projects were approved under the same GACD Horizon Europe call, each bringing a unique lens and expertise to the shared mission of improving chronic care. These consortia represent a diverse set of approaches to tackling complex health challenges, from digital tools and community engagement to implementation science that makes solutions real in everyday clinical settings.

EMPOWER — Empowering People and Health Workers in Sub-Saharan Africa focuses on supporting people living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and frontline health workers by leveraging digital health technologies to enhance chronic care delivery in Benin and Togo. By combining capacity building, community engagement and digital tools, EMPOWER is tackling the burden of chronic diseases in environments where health infrastructure and access can be fragmented.

M-CARE — Integrated Care for Cardiometabolic and Mental Health Conditions adopts an integrated care model to address the overlap between cardiometabolic conditions and mental health disorders across Ghana, Kenya and Uganda. Recognising that biological and psychosocial conditions often coexist, M-CARE is implementing and evaluating care pathways that link mental health support with chronic metabolic disease management, aligning with evidence that holistic care models improve outcomes for people with multiple long-term conditions.

PEN-CONNECT — Hypertension, Diabetes & Mental Health in Mozambique targets the optimisation of care pathways and quality care for people with hypertension, diabetes and common mental health multimorbidity in Mozambique. The project seeks to strengthen the operationalisation of integrated care strategies in primary health settings, helping clinicians and health systems tailor interventions that reflect the complex reality of co-occurring chronic conditions.

HIVE — Integrated HIV & NCD Care for People with Multiple Conditions is dedicated to improving the care of people living with HIV (PLWH) who also experience multiple long-term conditions. The project does this by implementing a tailored mobile-health (mHealth) platform, personalised self-management support and psychosocial counselling within HIV care settings, with pilot sites in Kenya, Kazakhstan, Greece and Malta.

While each project has its own specific focus and methodology, they converge on shared values such as equity, patient-centred care, and sustainability of impact.

Collaborating from the start

Recognising that complex health challenges demand collective strength, the SHINE 2Europe team, responsible for leading synergy and networking activities, organised a series of introduction meetings between MULTIPULM and the four partner initiatives.

These first exchanges were about more than just presentations: they were opportunities to get to know each other’s work, understand complementary expertise, identify shared challenges, and begin mapping areas where collaboration can add real value. Participants discussed overlapping goals, potential areas for shared evaluation, mutual learning platforms, and ways to amplify collective impact in the years ahead.

Now, having laid that early groundwork, we are moving forward with proposals for joint activities that will deepen cooperation throughout the lifetime of these projects. This includes shared workshops, cross-project data and knowledge exchanges, and coordinated stakeholder engagement strategies that strengthen the footprint of all five initiatives.

Stay tuned as we continue to explore joint activities, shared learning moments, and collective milestones across this vibrant ecosystem of GACD-funded research, because together, we can achieve more equitable and integrated care for people living with multiple chronic conditions around the world.

By Carina Dantas

Chief Executive Officer | SHINE 2Europe, Lda.

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