PEPFAR's Work

Treatment

2006 Budget for treatment activities in Cote d'Ivoire:  $11,092,986

The USG has played an integral role in expanding comprehensive HIV treatment in Cote d’Ivoire since the debut in 1998 of the national pilot drug access initiative. In 2004, the launch of the national treatment access program with heavy subsidies and the opening of the first center outside Abidjan represented major milestones in the expansion of access to treatment. With EP support, a six-fold increase in the number of persons receiving treatment has been registered, with exponential growth slowed only by availability of drugs and resources. Despite the crisis, government funding allocations for antiretrovirals continue to increase annually to $1.8 million USD in 2005. With FY 2006 funds, the Emergency Plan will continue to support the national roll-out plan and complement GFATM programs in the spirit of 3x5. The EP will continue to strengthen key systems that are critical for scale-up of quality sustainable treatment services, including HIV commodities management coordinated by the national public pharmacy; monitoring through the health management information system and targeted evaluations, including of the emergence of antiretroviral resistance; in-service and pre-service training for health professionals; capacity building for decentralized health authorities; and the establishment of a laboratory network to provide decentralized HIV services supported by the CDC/Projet RETRO-CI laboratory which has provided the majority of national HIV testing and monitoring.

With FY 2005 funds, the USG will rapidly expand service delivery through public, faith-based and private facilities, with technical assistance to promote family care and ensure links to relevant prevention, care and support services. The EP will complement GFATM TB funds to integrate HIV diagnostic and treatment services at all TB care centers and link patients to ongoing HIV services. In 2006, the new twinning partnership between the University of California-San Francisco and the major teaching hospitals will help establish national training for adult and pediatric referral centers of excellence at tertiary facilities, with integrated counseling and testing and HIV services throughout. These will form the heart of the network for the national treatment program. 

The USG will provide ongoing technical and financial support through small grants to PLWHA and media networks/organizations to promote treatment literacy and uptake of counseling and testing and to provide peer support and sensitize against gender- and HIV-related stigma and discrimination. Overall efforts will contribute to development of a system that can provide a continuum of comprehensive care and treatment services, including antiretroviral drug therapy, psychosocial support, treatment of opportunistic infections and care for HIV-affected families, including prevention of further infections.