REGIONAL HIVAIDS CARE CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA KNOWLEDGE HUB

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REGIONAL HIV/AIDS CARE CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE
IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICAKNOWLEDGE HUB

• By Tumwebaze Benon
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The Background

• The regional Knowledge Hub in HIV and AIDS Care
  was established in 2003 by WHO/GTZ collaboration
  to support Regional centres of excellence, or
  Knowledge Hubs to provide technical assistance
  to countries in East and Southern Africa.
• To contribute to the regional and global target
  of treating 3 million people living with HIV and
  AIDS on antiretroviral therapy by the end of
  2005.

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Objectives of the HIV Knowledge Hub

• To provide training for capacity development in
  partnership with the national HIV AIDS programs
• To support integration of HIV AIDS
  interventions with other health programs
• To strengthen the regional network as a platform
  for the compilation, exchange, synthesis
  dissemination of knowledge
• To provide technical assistance to governments
• To facilitate operational research in
  strengthening health systems
• To mobilise resources for the network

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Centers of Excellence in HIV care and Prevention
in Uganda
Joint Clinical Research Centre
Ministry of Health - Uganda
AIDS Information Centre
Infectious Diseases Institute
Mildmay Uganda
The AIDS Support Organisation
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KH Support in East and Southern Africa

• The KH supports 14 countries in Eastern and
  Southern Africa in capacity building, namely
  Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia,
  Malawi, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, South Africa,
  Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and
  Mozambique

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Role of the hub in the region

• Key technical priority areas
• HIV Testing and Counselling
• HIV/AIDS Treatment and Care
• Programme Development plus ME
• Functions of the Hub
• Training health professionals
• Direct technical assistance to countries
• Establish technical resource networks
• Adaptation and promotion of tools and guidelines
  for training and management

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IMAI technical support to countries
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Challenges

• Lack of staff
• Heavy work load
• Insufficient equipment
• Access to global funding
• Networking
• Sustainability of logistical support
• Transition of capacity building into quality
  health services
• Follow up visit as a second component of
  training

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AMREF ART Knowledge Hub

• Project started in October 2005 with BMZ
  funding
• Overall goal was to accelerate WHO 3by5 strategy
  through quality training in ART
• Has trained over 324 health care workers as ART
  provider TOTs for MOH Kenya and Southern Sudan.
• Serving over 2,900 HCWs from 35 countries of
  Africa and beyond with up-to-date information on
  HIV prevention, care and treatment through
  e-bulletin, e-portal, e-based learning programs.
• German Federal Ministry for Economic
  Cooperation and Development

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Impact of the training

• Significant scale up in ART services has happened
  in Kenya and Southern Sudan
• Increase in number of ART sites in Kenya and in
  Southern Sudan
• Increase in PLHA receiving treatment in Kenya and
  in S. Sudan
• Increase in number of trained HCWs providing both
  adult and paediatric ARV in Kenya and Sudan

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Other hubs in the sub-region include

• KH in South Africa - Enhancing Care Initiative,
  Nelson Mandela School of medicine (ECI South
  Africa), provides clinical training in HIV using
  an extensive e-Platform and decentralised
  training
• The KH of Sudan has developed and implemented
  programme management training as a first step
  into KH activities and is about to kick off and
  develop its own national profile and activities,
  as a network of Universities, a Continuous
  Professional Development Centre for health
  professions and the SNAP.

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Way forward

• We are in the process of developing a memorandum
  of understanding between the KH for East and
  Southern Africa based in Uganda, Knowledge Hubs
  of African Medical Research of Kenya (AMREF),
  Sudan National HIV/AIDS Control program (NAP) and
  Nelson Mandela School of Medicine (ECI South
  Africa) to broaden the information exchange
  through networking, communication, coordination,
  cooperation and collaboration using e-platform.

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Thank You!