The ManicaPost
Ray Bande in MAKONI
PEOPLE living with HIV and Aids in all parts of the country will soon start receiving Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) at their doorsteps, in a development that is expected to significantly reduce cases of defaulting medication, The Manica Post has learnt.
The door-to-door medication delivery intervention programme will promote treatment adherence and decongest health facilities.
The roll out of the programme follows the successful implementation of a pilot project that is now winding up in Makoni District of Manicaland Province.
The door-to-door medication delivery intervention programme pilot project in Makoni was implemented by the National Aids Council, the Ministry of Health and Child Care and various development partners.
Dubbed the Community Antiretroviral Treatment Facilitator (CATCF), the model has greatly enhanced HIV treatment adherence, resulting in less than four out of 500 people under ART defaulting in the last three years in areas under St Therese Mission Hospital’s catchment.
This was revealed during a NAC media tour of Manicaland which seeks to familiarise journalists on HIV interventions being carried out across the country.
The CATCF pilot project in Makoni was the first to be implemented in the country and is being rolled out at the seven health facilities under St Therese Mission Hospital.
Speaking during a media tour at St Therese Mission Hospital, Makoni District Aids Coordinator, Mr Spencer Banguza said: “We are decentralising the service and the queues are now shorter. This is improving access to medication.
“Pregnant women and adolescents will continue receiving their supplies at the hospital because they are supposed to get clinical tests every three months. Clients that are eligible for the Differentiated Service Delivery (DSD) models are the ones that are eligible to receive their supplies at their doorsteps.
“However, the most important thing to note is the success that this pilot project has brought. It has significantly reduced the number of cases of people defaulting on their medication.”
NAC communications officer, Mrs Tadiwa Nyatanga weighed in: “The service has been brought right to their doorstep because there are so many factors that militated against consistent access to medication.
“Now that the service has been provided at your doorstep, there is really no reason why one should not be adhering to their medication. We expect the project to spread to other parts of the country as it has produced very positive results.”
In an interview at St Therese Mission Hospital, Ms Prisca Kurida (32), who is married to 37-year-old Mr Moral Muje and are beneficiaries of the programme under the Family Antiretroviral Refill Group (FARG) arm, said the programme greatly assisted them.
“Before this programme, we used to face difficulties in accessing medication. This resulted in a number of people defaulting.
“We actually had some of our relatives and friends dying after defaulting. When this programme was introduced, we started getting medication at home and we have never missed our treatment,” she said.
Mr Itai Madondo, a CATFCT staffer, said they started the programme on January 16, 2020.
“Our task is to collect medication from the health facility and deliver it to ART clients at home. We also take time to encourage clients to have their viral load checked on time.
“Viral load testing is done once every year for adult clients.
“At times clients forget and we also follow-up and remind them to visit the facility to have their viral load checked.
“We also teach them on other issues relating to prevention, like the consistent and correct usage of condoms,” he said.
NAC, in collaboration with some of its partners, has been implementing a number of Differentiated Service Delivery (DSD) programmes around the country. Some of these models include Community ART Refill Groups (CARGs), Family Antiretroviral Refill Groups (FARGs), and the Out of Facility Community ART Distribution (OFCAD), among others.
