HIV & AIDS

MSH salutes frontline providers working to improve the lives of people affected by AIDS. Photo by Carmen Urdaneta

An estimated 33 million people are living with AIDS, more than two-thirds of them in sub-Saharan Africa. While antiretroviral medicines are improving and prolonging lives in this region, nearly 60 percent of people who need treatment do not receive it. And the number of new HIV infections continues to grow.

In 35 countries, many of them in Africa, MSH works with partners to build the leadership, management, and technical skills of local people to increase access to HIV & AIDS services. These services include a comprehensive package of prevention, treatment, and care that is integrated with services for tuberculosis; family planning; and maternal, newborn, and child health so patients receive holistic care.

MSH empowers local leaders to build health systems that can sustain services, from education about stigmatization of people living with HIV to prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. As a result, more people receive voluntary counseling and testing, more people receive and adhere to treatment, and fewer people become infected.

RESULTS

  • The Supply Chain Management System (SCMS), which works with international and local partners in 16 countries, is saving $14 million per month on the purchase of antiretroviral medicines by building information systems to improve forecasting, using generics, pooling procurement, and establishing long-term contracts with manufacturers.

  • MSH is integrating HIV & AIDS and family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) activities in multiple countries, including Malawi and Kenya. Nearly 1,000 community-based distribution agents in Malawi dispense contraceptives, make referrals, and educate clients. From October 2007 through December 2008, more than 100,000 people received FP/HIV messages and services.

  • The national Ethiopia HIV/AIDS Care and Support Program (HCSP) is strengthening districts and health centers and using case managers, training, and outreach to offer comprehensive HIV/TB services to a population of 64 million. More than 4,000 community health workers have been trained in HIV prevention, care, and treatment, contributing to nearly 1 million individuals being counseled and tested for HIV in 2008 alone. By strengthening service delivery linkages at community and health facility levels, in supported communities the number of patients on antiretroviral treatment lost to treatment  has been sustained at less than 7%, or four times lower than the national average.

  • MSH, with four partners, leads the USAID-funded Grant Management Solutions (GMS) Project, which assists countries receiving grants from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. In 2008, Grant Management Solutions helped 40 countries to manage a total of 121 grants, or about $2.7 billion. GMS assists in governance and leadership challenges; financial and grants management and reporting; procurement and supply management; and improving the skills and participation of civil society organizations.