About the Initiative

Strengthening healthcare capacity across 40+ GHU countries with evidence-based clinical education to combat cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and Sanofi's Global Health Unit (GHU) launched this initiative in 2023 with the sole aim of building healthcare professionals' capacity in the management of diabetes care. Grounded in a clear theory of change and backed by a Global Health Unit that has already empowered over 43,000 healthcare workers worldwide, the programme has become one of GHU's flagship achievements, a successful initiative delivered across all 40 limited-resource programme countries.

Medical doctors and diabetes educators were trained online on an evidence-based, EACCME-accredited programme, with 9 hours and 12 hours of learning respectively, available in English, French and Portuguese.

40+ Sanofi Global Health Unit Countries Map

Map covering 40+ Sanofi Global Health Unit (GHU) countries, reaching approx. 747M people.

Reach

7,075 learners

Over 7,000 healthcare workers signed up for the courses from all 40 programme countries, including nearly 3,900 doctors and GPs and more than 3,100 diabetes educators.

Knowledge Gains

+27 to +31 pts

Learners who completed the course scored much higher on knowledge tests: doctors and GPs improved by nearly 27 points out of 100, and educators by over 30 points.

Satisfaction

~4.5 / 5.0

Learners loved the courses, rating them 4.5 out of 5 on average, with almost everyone expressing they would recommend the training to a colleague.

CME Credits

50,000+

Over 50,000 CME credits awarded to learners across all 40 programme countries to recognize continuous professional development.

In 2026, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), in collaboration with the World Heart Federation (WHF) and Sanofi's Global Health Unit (GHU), launched a new initiative offering an online course on the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Developed from a multidisciplinary curriculum piloted with healthcare professionals across three countries, the accredited online course is designed primarily for medical doctors, including general practitioners and primary care physicians to course builds the skills to identify, manage and reduce the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events in people who have already had a heart attack or stroke..

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, responsible for around 20 million deaths a year, a third of all deaths globally. Secondary prevention including consistent risk-factor management, appropriate medication and lifestyle support remains essential. Delivered online in English, French and Portuguese through the IDF School of Diabetes platform, the programme aims to train 5,000 medical doctors across 42 GHU countries. The course covers the principles of secondary prevention, lifestyle and behavioural interventions, managing co-morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension, patient-centred care, and cardiac rehabilitation.

Course Curriculum

11 modules covering the full arc of secondary CVD prevention, from initial risk assessment to long-term rehabilitation.

Capacity-Building Programme on Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease for Primary Care Physicians

Target Audience: Primary care physicians and general practitioners

EACCME CME Credits*

Modules

11 Core Units

Total Duration

16 Hours

Suggested Pace

2 Hours / Week

Time to Complete

4 Months

1.Introduction to CVD & secondary prevention

2.Nutrition counselling & weight management

3.Tobacco/alcohol cessation counselling

4.Physical activity counselling

5.Psychosocial support

6.Pharmacological management: diabetes

7.Pharmacological management: hypertension

8.Pharmacological management: dyslipidemia

9.Adherence counselling

10.Patient-centered care, communication & education

11.Cardiac rehabilitation (CR)

*Actual number of CME credits will vary between 11 to 15. Yet to be finalized upon EACCME accreditation review.

Eligibility

Two essential criteria must both be met in order to qualify for the fully sponsored programme.

Be a Medical Doctor

A general practitioner or primary care physician with a minimum qualification of MBBS or MD degree.

AND

Be a Resident of a GHU Country

Applicants must actively reside and practice in one of the 42 sanctioned Global Health Unit countries.

Eligible Countries (42 Countries)

Physicians practicing in any of the following 42 low and lower-middle-income countries are eligible:

Afghanistan

Benin

Bhutan

Burundi

Cambodia

Central African Republic

Chad

Comoros

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Djibouti

Eritrea

Gambia (The)

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Haiti

Kyrgyzstan

Laos

Liberia

Malawi

Micronesia

Mongolia

Mozambique

Myanmar

Niger

Papua New Guinea

Rwanda

Sao Tome e Principe

Sierra Leone

Solomon Islands

Somalia

South Sudan

Syria

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Timor-Leste

Togo

Turkmenistan

Tuvalu

Uganda

Yemen

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Documents Required

Medical Degree Certificate

A clear scanned copy of your official MD / MBBS degree certificate or recognized medical license.

Choose your path

Choose the application process that corresponds to your candidate profile or organizational sponsorship.

Path 1

Existing Learners

Already validated on the IDF-GHU Primary Care Physicians programme?

1. Pre-Validated

Congratulations! Your candidature is pre-validated with no extra docs needed.

2. Start Course

Path 2

Individual Candidates

Applying on your own behalf as an eligible medical doctor in a GHU country?

Path 3

For Organisations

Represent a hospital, ministry of health, or national diabetes association?

Frequently Asked Questions

Find detailed answers regarding accreditation, eligibility, course completion, and institutional partnerships.

Sanofi's Global Health Unit works to improve access to healthcare and strengthen health systems in underserved communities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes partnerships and programmes addressing noncommunicable diseases and other priority health needs.

Find out more: impact.sanofi