HAI has been instrumental in supporting treatment expansion in the regions hardest hit by HIV in Mozambique. While the national HIV prevalence of Mozambique is rising and now stands at almost 15%, the central region surpasses 20%, with some areas such as Beira maintaining an adult rate of 40%.
HAI has been a main partner in the central region, working with the Mozambican Government since the beginning of the scale up effort to secure funding and to rapidly expand access to treatment. The first Ministry of Health / HAI testing sites in the central region opened in 2001.
The Beira HIV/AIDS Day Hospital opened its doors to the estimated 200,000 HIV infected residents through the creation of an HIV clinic, known as the “Day Hospital”. The Day Hospital is located on the Beira Central Hospital campus, and is fully managed and staffed by Mozambican Ministry of Health workers. With funds from Oxfam, USAID and Columbia University’s MTCT Plus project, HAI supported:
With a generous grant from WHO-OPEC, the Day Hospital in Chimoio was completely renovated and attendance at the site quadrupled within one month of its reopening in February 2004. Like Beira, the Chimoio site is fully integrated into the existing health service, which allows for easy referrals to other sections of the hospital as necessary. The new CD4 laboratory located in Chimoio began functioning in November 2004 and has the capacity to provide vital CD4 tests for all patients entering the Day Hospital care system in the central region.
Innovations at these two sites include:
HAI has worked closely with the Ministry of Health to expand HIV treatment access beyond the major urban centers of the country. In the Central Region, the emphasis on expanding access led to opening five additional Day Hospital sites in 2005: Nhamatanda (March), Catandica (May), Espungabera (November), Manica Town (December), and Dondo (December). This expansion is scheduled to continue in 2006.
New challenges were encountered at these rural sites, and HAI and the Mozambican health system are working to overcome constraints which stem from the limited human resources as well as the high demand for services in these previously neglected areas. Ensuring the quality of and equitable access to the national HIV treatment program is fundamental.
Ongoing operational support for all HAI supported treatment sites is provided through funds from USAID and the World Bank’s Treatment Acceleration Program (TAP).