AHF Eswatini Awarded #1 ART Program

In Eswatini by AHF

In the War on AIDS, Eswatini is the frontline. Here, nearly one in three adults lives with HIV, life expectancy is only 50 years and AIDS is the leading cause of death.

After 8 years of relentless work in “the trenches,” by early June AHF Eswatini reached a milestone of providing ART to 10,000 patients at the Lamvelase Help Center in Manzini, the country’s second largest city, and the Mbabane Clinic in the capital.

AHF expanded and renovated the Lamvelase Clinic in 2014, transforming it into a beautiful, patient-friendly space. (Read More)

“As a physician, when I pause to look back at how far we have come, the challenges we faced, the patients we lost before treatment—this milestone of 10,000 people on ART, alive and caring for their families is a moment to celebrate what AHF has been able to achieve together with our partners,” Dr. Nduduzo Dube, AHF Eswatini country program manager said. “Bringing HIV under control in Eswatini will demand much more work, but this proves that we know how to get there.”

On the heels of crossing the 10,000 patient mark, AHF Eswatini received two prestigious awards from the National HIV Semi-Annual Review conference (NaHSAR) for the “Best Pre-ART Program” and the “Overall Best HIV Care Program.”

NaHSAR was conceived by Eswatini National AIDS Program (SNAP) and International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP) in 2009 and has had a great impact on improving patient care as well as motivating the health workers. The conference helps benchmark performance of health facilities and provides an opportunity for SNAP, the Ministry of Health and implementing partners to reflect on the progress in HIV prevention, care and treatment.

“We welcome the recognition of the AHF Eswatini clinical program by NaHSAR. It speaks to the professionalism of the country team under the leadership of Dr. Dube and the strength of our patient-centered approach to care delivery,” Dr. Penninah Iutung Amor said. “While some ASOs (AIDS Service Organizations) are drifting away from what really works in terms of prevention and treatment, our “test and treat” approach has proven itself time and again as the most efficient and cost-effective way of delivering high-quality care—even in challenging countries like Eswatini.”

In 2007, AHF established a clinic in Manzini in partnership with the Manzini Municipal Council, the Ministry of Health, and Population Services International in conjunction with Family Life Association Eswatini and AMICAALL Eswatini.

In addition to the most recent awards from NaHSAR, AHF has previously won the following accolades:

  • October – March 2013: Most Improved Data Quality and Best Pre ART Program
  • October 2013 – March 2014: Best Pre ART program, Best HIV-TB Care, Overall Best Performing Facility
  • April-2014 – October 2010: Best HIV-TB integration and Overall Best Performing HIV Care Facility
  • October 2014 – March 2015: Best Pre ART program and Best Best Performing HIV Care Program

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We applaud the efforts to connect people living with HIV through awareness, and recognize there is still much work to be done. Through our 20×20 campaign, our goal is to have 20 million HIV+ people around the world on treatment by the year 2020.

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