Strengthening cardiovascular nursing education and workforce is a critical strategy for addressing the growing cardiovascular disease epidemic in Africa

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have emerged as a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide,surpassing infectious diseases in many regions including Africa. Traditionally, the African continent has been associated with a significant burden of infectious diseases and nutritional problems. Shift in the burden of disease have been evident in recent decades, with CVD now accounting for 13% of all deaths in Africa. My investigation in Africa’s second populous country - Ethiopia, revealed patients with cardiovascular conditions receive poor follow up services, practice multiple unhealthy behaviours and have poor understanding of CVD, risk factors and self-management. Despite this growing epidemic, health care systems in many African countries are still poorly prepared to deal with the rising incidence of CVD due to shortage of health workforce, inadequately trained staff, inadequate infrastructure, and limited resources for disease prevention and treatment.