HIV/AIDS
Listen to Dr.Gilbert Kombe speak about HIV/AIDS and Health Systems Strengthening
The Challenges of Achieving Success in Responding to the HIV Epidemic
Each week, HIV infects nearly 50,000 individuals. Each day, thanks to multilateral, bilateral and private initiatives, at least 1.3 million individuals in the world’s poorest countries begin or continue treatment regimens to help them manage the world’s newest and least-understood chronic disease. As recently as five years ago, many people, including global health experts, doubted such progress was possible.
This week the Group of Eight (G8) is expected to reaffirm its commitment to supporting antiretroviral treatment for approximately 2.5 million people over the next five years. As countries work to scale up successful programs, the weakness of the national health systems needed to support HIV and AIDS prevention, care, and treatment grow increasingly apparent. Repeatedly, health system weaknesses ranging from acute shortages of trained health workers to weak health management information systems to the inadequate integration of HIV services into basic health services have tested – and sometimes threatened – the successful scaling up of urgently needed HIV and AIDS services.
International donors and national governments are increasingly recognizing the importance of strong health systems for achieving HIV/AIDS targets and goals, and for providing long-term and sustainable support for prevention and management of one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. Here we take a closer look at both proven and targeted approaches to strengthening health systems so they are prepared to meet the challenges of achieving HIV/AIDS success.
What is the health system?
A health system consists of all organizations, people, and actions whose primary intent is to promote, restore, or maintain health. The health systems strengthening framework of the World Health Organization identifies six building blocks of a health system: service delivery; health workforce; information; medical products, vaccines and technologies; financing; and leadership and governance.
How Health Systems 20/20 helps to build stronger health systems
Health Systems 20/20’s holistic approach to health systems strengthening, including partnering with the often-unacknowledged private sector, allows it to link research to real-world applications, and address the spectrum of HIV-related prevention, treatment, care, and support needs. The Abt Associates-led project works closely with a diverse set of local partners – from central ministries of health to district health managers to grassroots private groups – to address those priorities. For example, we work with ministries of health to apply our Health Systems Assessment Tool to rapidly assess health systems needs and prioritize responses; we also help local groups such as midwife associations to provide prevention of mother-to-child transmission services.
VCT Events: Country Case Studies
Type: Report
Country: Brazil, Ethiopia, Malawi
Voluntary Counseling and Testing Events: A Toolkit for Implementers (Working Document)
Type: Tool
Linking NHA and NASA – A Coordinated Approach
Type: Tool
Country: Europe and Central Asia, Romania
Scaling-Up Antiretroviral and Health Systems: Evidence from Ethiopia
Type: Presentation
Country: Ethiopia
Step-by-Step Methological Guideline for HIV/AIDS Costing
Type: Report
Country: United States
Why Strengthening Health Systems Matters
Oct 10 2008
USAID's flagship health systems strengthening project, Health Systems 20/20, was invited to share their experience with the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) related to building health systems at the country level.
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