/ Programmes / Health / HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS

Afghanistan is in an early stage of the HIV epidemic, withhigh potential for a rapid spread since a number of vulnerabilities and patterns of risky behavior signal need to take action now, before it is too late to make a difference to the course of the epidemic.

Ministry of Public Health (MoPH)

HIV/AIDS was recognized as an area of concern for MoPH in the year 2003 and the National HIV/AIDS Control Program (NACP) was established. A national strategy for Afghanistan was also developed for the period 2003 - 2006. This has been revised into the Afghanistan National HIV/AIDS Strategic Framework (ANASAF) for 2006 - 2010 through a broad-based participatory process at MoPH. The focus is on injecting drug users and their partners, and among other vulnerable groups at high risk such as sex workers and their clients, and truck drivers and migrant laborers. In addition, The NACP office is in the pipeline to prepare a TB-HIV and a HIV testing and councelling guideline. Besides this, an anti-retroviral therapy as well as a preventive mother to child transmission guideline will be ready within a near future.

The planned activities in the current strategic plan are funded by the World Bank and a program operation plan has been prepared in order to carry out the activities more efficiently. The financial support from the World Bank is USD 10 million.

A proposal for support to the HIV/AIDS program has also been submitted to the seventh round call for proposals by the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria. Some joint activities have also been undertaken between the demand reduction units of the Ministries of Counter Narcotics and of Public Health. These two Ministries have jointly developed a Harm Reduction Strategy for Injecting drug users and HIV/AIDS prevention. A blood safety program based in blood banks is as well under development with financial support from the French Cooperation.

The overall Project Goal is to prevent the potential spread of HIV/AIDS in SCA’s multi-sectoral programme operation areas. The project aims at training of SCA’s programme, project and support unit staff through disseminating information and increasing coordination with relevant partners and reducing the risk of infection amongst the project community target groups. The project uses different approaches including conducting workshops and trainings, dissemination of information through media, and research activities.

In addition, there is a need for a forward looking approach since the work cannot only be restricted to the health sector. HIV/AIDS needs to be addressed from a multi-sectoral approach. It means that coordination is important with other sectors in order to integrate the issue into new activities and to strengthen the overall response to HIV/AIDS.

In an attempt to take on this issue, the HIV/AIDS sub-unit has a HIV/AIDS Coordination Committee which comprise of various units in SCA. The intention is to work with the concept of mainstreaming and functional integration of HIV/AIDS into other programme and project activities. Moreover, the members of the Coordination Committee do also act as a reference group in order to provide the HIV/AIDS Sub-Unit with strategic advice regarding the project activities.

The project aims in 2008 to integrate its activities further through the Basic Package of Health Service (BPHS) and train the health staff on testing, care and treatment. In addition, the project plans to make HIV/AIDS diagnostic available at the Basic Health Centre (BHC), Comprehensive Health centre (CHC) and the District hospital (DH) level and make sure that health facilities have screened the blood. The project team does also intend to focus more on stigma and discrimination given that it remains an enormous barrier to effectively fight the HIV epidemic in a conservative environment like Afghanistan.

There is as well a potential that SCA will become a future stakeholder. This goes especially for Voluntary Counselling and Confidentiality Testing Centres (VCCT) with which SCA already has some indirect experience.

Given that MoPH has applied for additional for additional funds for the coming years to support the Afghanistan National AIDS Strategic Framework (ANASAF), SCA will become a sub-recipient and manage the VCCT on behalf of NACP. SCA will build-up the capacity and the management strength in order to carry out such an assignment within the current framework.

SCA is also a member of the HIV/AIDS Coordination Committee for Afghanistan (HACCA) which is organized by the National AIDS Control Program (NACP) within MoPH. The purpose is to contribute to the efficient implementation of the activities of the NACP through coordination, monitoring and institutional capacity development of NACP. During the year 2007, SCA will continue its collaboration with other NGOs as well as through various advocacy networks in order to share experiences and learn from each other.

The present project is funded by Sida and the budget is 2,6 MSEK for the period 2008. Currently, HIV/AIDS project is attached and managed by Health Technical Unit.