Strengthening health systems using best practice model in HIV/TB care
Delegates from the AURUM Institute, PEPFAR district partner in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, and the Provincial partner to the North West Province attended the Train the Trainer workshop facilitated by CAPRISA’s Advanced Clinical Care (ACC) team recently
The 2-day training focussed on best practices in the implementation of routine viral load monitoring and management of patients with unsuppressed viral load.
The workshop equipped attendees with skills to replicate a five-step plan implemented at three pilot sites in eThekwini, with a total of 9,184 patients accessing ART between November 2016 and November 2017, that resulted in improved viral load completion rates to > 80% within six months, sustained to > 90% at 12 months.
The plan was subsequently expanded to the public sector ARV facilities in community health centres and hospitals in eThekwini that resulted in the improvement of the district viral load coverage from 43% to 73% within 6 months of scale up.
The standard operating procedures and tools of this project, which were developed in partnership with the eThekwini district management, PEPFAR partners and academics, are endorsed as the best practice model in HIV/TB care by the South African National Department of Health and neighbouring African countries.
Photo: Facilitators of the ACC programme: (L) Dr Kogie Naidoo Head of HIV-TB Treatment and (R) Dr Rochelle Adams, Research Clinician at CAPRISA