Zambia
- Population: 13.3 million
- People living with HIV: 980,000
- People receiving ART: 283,900
- Treatment sites: 3
- Locations: Chikankata, Monze, Choma
The Epidemic
In the urban areas of Zambia, such the Copperbelt and Lusaka, as many as 25% of people are HIV positive. Women and girls are especially vulnerable to the epidemic: at the end of 2006, 57% of the adults living with HIV in Zambia were women.
Though free ART became available through PEPFAR and Global Fund support in 2004, people with low incomes and those in rural areas are often unable to access treatment due to high transport costs and the long distances they must travel to reach clinics. Aggravating this problem is Zambia’s severe human resource shortage. The African Medical and Research Foundation estimates that there are only 7.5 doctors to every 100,000 Zambians.
AHF in Zambia
AHF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ), the Centre for Infectious Disease Research of Zambia and the Salvation Army, currently operates three ART clinic sites in southern Zambia. AHF’s role is to provide technical support, building renovation, staff compensation and clinical training. By handling the technical and financial matters, we enable our partners to focus on providing the best care possible.
In 2004, AHF developed the HIV Medic program, an innovative solution to the shortage of healthcare workers. Through this 12-week intensive program, laypeople are trained to become paraprofessional “extenders” of treatment who provide basic triage and intensive adherence support, as well as assisting in administering ART. The program was piloted in Uganda and brought to Zambia in partnership with CHAZ. It has been cited as a best practice model by the World Health Organization.
AHF Zambia Cares has grown geographically and programmatically. The main administrative office has relocated to a building in Lusaka, where a new clinic will also be housed. The HIV testing and condom distribution programs have expanded considerably and we hope to grow our training programs as well. We continue to provide technical and financial support to the three clinics in the southern province, and are beginning to establish a greater presence in Lusaka.
Statistics from UNAIDS.org, 2011, unless otherwise stated.
