Delivering treatment
Delivery of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in Southern African health systems is hampered by the considerable shortage of health workers available to deliver ART under existing models. Current labour intensive programmes require as many as 10 people (nurses, doctors, counsellors and others) to treat 500 people. Moreover, human resource constraints are severely under-estimated.
Alternatives to current models of ART delivery must be sought in order to ensure scale-up of services. Potential options include: using 3-in-1 pills, which are much easier to use; the greater use of semi-skilled health workers under close supervision; and treatment literacy campaigns so people understand the issues. The greatest potential for successful scale up is establishing new models centring on patients, as experts, and their communities.
For more on human resource constraints of ARV scale-up, click on the the link to the HIV and AIDS section of the Human Resources Dossier in the right hand column
Alternatives to current models of ART delivery must be sought in order to ensure scale-up of services. Potential options include: using 3-in-1 pills, which are much easier to use; the greater use of semi-skilled health workers under close supervision; and treatment literacy campaigns so people understand the issues. The greatest potential for successful scale up is establishing new models centring on patients, as experts, and their communities.
For more on human resource constraints of ARV scale-up, click on the the link to the HIV and AIDS section of the Human Resources Dossier in the right hand column
- Human resources for health and ART scale-up in sub-Saharan Africa: A background paper for the MSF Access to Essential Drugs Campaign
- ( K. Kober; W. Van Damme / Access to Essential Medicines Campaign, MSF , 2005)
- This report, prepared as a background paper for the MSF Access to Essential Drugs Campaign, examines how the current human resources for health (HRH) situation in sub-Saharan Africa will affect attemp...
- Scaling up access to antiretroviral treatment in southern Africa: who will do the job?
- ( K. Kober; W. van Damme / The Lancet , 2005)
- Recommended reading
- This paper, published in the Lancet, examines plans for scaling up antiretroviral treatment (ART) for HIV-positive people in Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, and South Africa. It reports that a lack of...
- Scaling up antiretroviral treatment in the public sector in Nigeria: a comprehensive analysis of resource requirements
- ( G. Kombe; D. Galaty; C. Nwagbara / Partners for Health Reformplus , 2004)
- This report from Partners for Health Reformplus presents estimates of the total cost of providing comprehensive antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in the public sector in Nigeria. It uses the AIDSTREATCOS...
- Expert patients and AIDS care
- ( K. Kober; W. Van Damme / Eldis HIV and AIDS Resource Guide , 2006)
- This paper, published by the Institute of Tropical Medicine, reviews the literature on expert patient programmes for AIDS care in high-income countries, and explores their relevance for low-income cou...
- A public health approach to antiretroviral treatment: overcoming constraints. (Perspectives and practice in antiretroviral treatment)
- ( World Health Organization , 2003)
- This publication reviews the experiences of ARV programmes already underway in countries with very severe HIV epidemics but with constrained resources, as in most of Africa and part of the Caribbean. ...
- Provision of antiretroviral therapy in resource-limited settings: a review of experience up to August 2003
- ( K. Attawell; J. Mundy / Department for International Development Health Systems Resource Centre , 2004)
- Cheaper drugs and increased levels of financing mean the prospects should be improving for people with HIV/AIDS in poorer countries. There has been an expansion of existing antiretroviral therapy (AR...
- Rapid expansion, emerging challenges
- ( Access to Essential Medicines Campaign, MSF , 2004)
- This MSF briefing document describes some of the progress on antiretroviral therapy (ART), as well as some of the emerging operational and clinical challenges. It presents this information from the p...
