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Zambia |
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| Total Treatment Sites: |
3 |
| Treatment Site Location(s): |
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| Patients on ART: |
8,563 |
| Patient Enrolled: |
10,424 |
| Report in PDF Format: |
Zambia Country Report |
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HIV/AIDS in Zambia
Zambia is one of the world’s poorest and least developed nations – its Human Development Index ranking is 165th out of 177 countries. HIV prevalence rates are as high as 25% in urban areas (UNAIDS, 2006), particularly Lusaka and the Copperbelt. Young women and girls are especially vulnerable to the HIV epidemic and at the end of 2006, 57% of the million adults living with HIV/AIDS in Zambia were women (UNAIDS, 2008). HIV/AIDS knowledge is low and though free ART became available in 2004 through PEPFAR and Global Fund support, the poor and those in rural areas are unable to access health care due to high transport costs and long distances patients must travel to the clinics. Aggravating this problem is Zambia’s severe human resource shortage. The African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) estimates that there are only 7.5 doctors to every 100,000 Zambians and most of these doctors are located in the Lusaka area. Other challenges include stigma and gender inequality.
AHF Activities in Zambia
In Zambia, AHF and its partners provide HIV/AIDS medical care and treatment at three sites. AHF provides clinical technical assistance, continuing medical education, staff recruitment and compensation support, and HIV Medics training.
In 2004, AHF developed the HIV Medic program, an innovative solution to the shortage of healthcare workers in resource-constrained settings. Through this 12-week intensive program, laypeople are trained to become paraprofessional “extenders” of treatment who provide basic triage and intensive adherence support, and assist in the provision of ART. The program was piloted in Uganda and in collaboration with CHAZ, AHF brought this WHO-cited “best practice” task-shifting program to Zambia. HIV Medics take on some of the clinical, counseling and administrative responsibilities from nurses and doctors so that the clinical team is able to care for and treat larger numbers of patients in less time.
Models of Care
Technical Assistance & Supervision
Training
HIV Medics
Implementing Partners
Zambian Ministry of Health
Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ)
Salvation Army
