Date: 17 May 2025
Location: Midrand
Speaker: Tsakani Rikhotso, Chief Monitoring Officer, SayPro
[Opening – Greeting and Acknowledgement]
Good morning, colleagues, partners, and friends.
It’s a true honour to speak with you today as we mark World Hypertension Day 2025. I bring greetings from the entire SayPro Monitoring and Evaluation team and express our gratitude to everyone who continues to prioritise public health, especially in underserved communities across Africa.
This year’s global theme, “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer,” resonates deeply with our work — because to measure accurately is not only a medical necessity — it’s also a principle of accountability, precision, and purpose.
[Connecting Monitoring to Health Outcomes]
At SayPro, our vision of transformation is rooted in action — but sustained by measurement. What we do not measure, we cannot manage. And what we do not track, we cannot improve.
Hypertension, often called the “silent killer,” is a clear example of why monitoring matters. Without data, the signs go unnoticed. Without regular follow-up, the risk grows. Without evaluation, even the best intentions can miss the mark.
And that is why monitoring is not just a back-office function — it’s a lifesaving function.
[SayPro’s Role in Monitoring Impact]
Over the past year, SayPro has strengthened its monitoring frameworks across all our health programmes. From digital education to on-the-ground screenings, we are now using real-time tools to track outreach, measure effectiveness, and ensure our interventions reach those who need them most.
Today, we are proud to share that our new Health Impact Tracker, launched as part of our World Hypertension Day campaign, allows us to:
- Monitor the number of individuals screened across provinces
- Assess community-level blood pressure trends
- Evaluate follow-up care referrals
- And ensure that every screening, every visit, every training has measurable outcomes
This is about turning numbers into narratives — stories of change, stories of lives improved.
[Transparency, Accountability, and Continuous Learning]
Our responsibility as monitoring professionals is not only to report results — but to ask critical questions:
- Are we reaching the right people?
- Are our messages understood and retained?
- Are our resources being used efficiently and ethically?
- Are we learning and adapting?
At SayPro, we hold ourselves accountable — not just to funders or dashboards — but to the communities who trust us.
And we know that meaningful monitoring isn’t about collecting data for reports; it’s about using data to do better.
[Call to Action – Everyone Has a Role in Monitoring]
Today, I encourage all of us to become monitors in our own way:
- If you are a health worker, keep records. Follow up. Help us track progress.
- If you are a community organiser, share what’s working — and what’s not.
- If you are a partner or policymaker, demand evidence. Ask for results.
- If you are a citizen, monitor your own health — measure your blood pressure, and encourage others to do the same.
Because measurement leads to management. And management leads to impact.
[Closing – A Culture of Measurable Change]
In closing, let us commit not only to doing the right thing, but to doing it right — and proving it.
Monitoring is not about numbers for numbers’ sake — it’s about making sure our actions create the change we promise.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this campaign, to our field teams collecting and analysing vital data, and to the communities that help us learn, adapt, and grow stronger together.
Happy World Hypertension Day 2025.
Let’s measure with integrity, act with evidence, and live with impact.
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