When chronic illness care takes a backseat to Covid-19 Guests: Prof Andre Pascal Kengne (Director of the Non-Communicable Diseases Research Unit at the South African Medical Research Council) Dr Peter Delobelle (Chronic Disease Initiative for Africa at the University of Cape Town) While the focus of the healthcare system over the last year has been on the Covid-19 pandemic, hundreds of thousands of South Africans still have chronic conditions and non-communicable diseases that require care. In this episode of GE Vital Voices, we discuss how the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses like cancer and diabetes have been affected, and look at some of the positive innovations as a necessary consequence of the pandemic. Prof Andre Pascal Kengne is the Director of the Non-Communicable Diseases Research Unit at the South African Medical Research Council. He is also a professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town. Dr Peter Delobelle is from the Chronic Disease Initiative for Africa housed at the University of Cape Town. He has over two decades of experience in the public health and systems space. GE Vital Voices is brought to you by GE Healthcare. Healthcare has never been more accessible, intelligent or dynamic. It’s also never been under more pressure. That’s where GE Healthcare comes in – you and us, the clinicians and professionals on the frontlines of delivering healthcare for your patients and communities and those building the intelligent devices, data analytics, applications and services to enable you to do so more efficiently and with better outcomes. Together, we’re at the center of an ecosystem striving for precision health. Episodes are released monthly. Find us on gehealthcare.africa or on social media as GE Africa. The show is presented by Elna Schütz and recorded by Solid Gold Podcast Studios.