HIV/AIDS
With funding from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), C-Saúde seeks to control the HIV epidemic by supporting the sustainable implementation of services in Zambezia Province, Mozambique. It works in partnership with the Government of Mozambique at all levels — national, provincial, district, health units, and community — providing technical and financial support in human resources, infrastructure, training and mentoring, laboratory, pharmacy, program management, health information systems, and monitoring and evaluation.
Key focus areas in the HIV program include:
Prevention
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission, DREAMS initiative for adolescent girls, HIV counselling and testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Care and Treatment
Pediatric and adult follow-up for HIV, management of HIV/TB co-infection.
Support areas
Support for laboratory quality improvement, particularly in relation to early child diagnosis and viral load testing. I support pharmacies to improve the management procedures of antiretroviral drugs and for opportunistic infections.
The main Initiatives implemented are:
Allocation of Human Resources for Direct Service Delivery
Through sub-agreements with district health authorities (SDSMAS), C-Saúde funds the allocation of general practitioners and nurses who carry out consultations in HIV care and treatment services and paediatric and adult screenings, maternal and child health (SMI) nurses in SMI and cervical cancer services, laboratory technicians, phlebotomists and pharmacy technicians.
Lay Staff Support and Allocation
Includes lay counsellors who undertake HTA and psychosocial support. It also includes peer educators who promote retention on ART through home visits; mentor mothers who support retention on ART for pregnant and lactating women, early infant diagnosis, and pediatric retention; adolescents and youth mentors who support retention on ART for adolescents and youth; prevention champions supporting linkages to services for DREAMS beneficiaries, with a focus on creating demand for PrEP; and cough officers who assist in the identification of TB cases in health facilities.
Technical Support, Training and Mentoring
C-Saúde has an experienced technical team that supports the implementation of the HIV program including doctors, psychologists, SMI nurses, laboratory and pharmacy technicians. These teams, located at the district and provincial levels, use mobile digital applications to conduct mentoring sessions and improve the technical capacity of the teams providing direct services.
Promotion of HIV Prevention Messages and Other Health Communication Activities
Through community radios, theatre in health facilities and communities, lectures in patient waiting areas and communities, mass media campaigns and other communication approaches, C-Saúde supports the promotion of key messages and community mobilization for health services with an emphasis on HIV and TB. C-Saúde works with a number of community-based and faith-based organizations to engage communities and create demand for health services, with a focus on male engagement.
Implementation of Electronic Health Information Systems
In all supported health facilities, the SESP is implemented with the support of data entry workers hired to update the system and generate reports that support the implementation of the program and assist in reporting. Other systems such as those of the pharmacy, laboratory and applications for collecting community information are also supported.
Support Provided at the Provincial and National Level
C-Saúde provides technical assistance to the Provincial Directorate of Health (DPS) in the implementation of national guidelines, participating in provincial technical groups, and planning the execution of all activities related to the HIV program. At the national level, and through its team of centrally based advisors, it actively participates in technical working groups that develop national guidelines.