Program areas to be supported in the TEGEMEZA Project include:
• Provider-Initiated Testing And Counseling (PITC): The Project provides family and partner testing to ensure that family members and sexual partners of patients living with HIV also get tested. If infected, the clients are enrolled into care and treatment. This ensures that HIV infected persons are identified early enough to benefit from the full continuum of care and treatment interventions.
• Adult and Pediatric HIV Care, Support, and Treatment: The project prioritizes identification and placement of all eligible patients on ARVs, identification of patients with treatment failure for placement on second line treatment and identification and management of adverse drug reactions.
• Adherence & Psychosocial Support and Community Outreach: In the spirit of Greater/Meaningful Involvement of People living with HIV/AIDS (GIPA/MIPA), the Center for Health Solutions (CHS) facilitates peer counseling of new clients. The peer counselors support new clients in accepting and coping with their HIV status and link them to treatment options. CHS provides an environment where persons living with HIV, together with health care workers, can conduct support group meetings.
• Integrated TB/HIV Activities: To ensure ease of access to TB and HIV services and improve patient retention, the Project supports integration of services where TB/HIV co-infected patients receive care for both diseases together at a one-stop shop. Further, CHS provides diagnostic infrastructure for TB by offering free radiological films.
• Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT): These include HIV testing and linkages of infected women to prevention and treatment services. Additionally, TEGEMEZA facilitates the provision of care and treatment services to the pregnant mothers and the entire family in a friendly environment within the Maternal Child Health clinics. This ensures that the family provides the support needed to the mother, and that the entire family is part of the care and treatment effort.
• Health Systems Strengthening (HSS): TEGEMEZA works to strengthen health systems in general, and the management of HIV programs in particular. This includes infrastructural, human resource, financial and organizational support. CHS works with facilities to ensure adequate infrastructure to provide quality services by renovating and repairing clinics, laboratories and pharmacies. CHS support facilities to computerize their medical records by providing computers, software, and training staff on their use. TEGEMEZA also avails various laboratory equipment to strengthen diagnostic infrastructure.
• Laboratory & Pharmacy Support: The project provides facilities with laboratory equipment such as CD4 machines, hematology and biochemistry analyzers, microscopes and fridges. By networking with various hospitals and laboratories, they transport laboratory specimens from the point of care for the patients to the facilities with laboratory capabilities. This ensures that rapid investigations are conducted and results are delivered within the shortest period. CHS links patient specimens to the National Reference Laboratory for viral load testing, and ensures that results are send back to the point of care. Anti-retroviral drugs are life-saving and life-prolonging to many PLHIV. CHS supports pharmacy systems to ensure that these drugs are accessible to the patients as needed, and are used in a rational and safe manner.
