HIV/ AIDS - Yemen Successes and challenges

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HIV/ AIDS - Yemen Successes and challenges

• Dr. Fouzia Abdullah Gharama
• Programme Manager
• Ministry of Public Health Population

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National AIDS Control Programme

• Established in Ministry of Health in 1987
• Supported Mainly by the MOPHP , Dutch Embassy ,
  WHO , UNAIDS, and recently by the Global Fund
• Plan of action according to priority areas
  identified jointly by NAP and UNAIDS theme group.

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NAP-Priority Areas

• Prevention of sexual transmission
• Control of STIs
• Counseling and care of persons with HIV/AIDS
• Strengthening of programme management
• HIV surveillance

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Programme activities carrying out are

• Training and Education
• Counseling of HIV/AIDS cases, partners and their
  families,
• HIV screening for blood donation
• Serosurveys in selected population groups.

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HIV/AIDS situation in Yemen

• Cumulative reported cases (HIV/AIDS) 1379
• Estimated number of PLWA 2002 ( 11,227)
• Case detection is limited to
• Testing of blood donors
• Suspected AIDS cases
• In Migrant
• Out Migrant workers
• Some of vulnerable groups

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successes

• There is a strong political commitment regarding
  HIV/AIDS prevention strategy.
• The National HIV/AIDS Prevention Strategy which
  was formulated and approved by the government in
  2002 urges inclusion of HIV /AIDS activities in
  the national planning framework , the population
  policy and government sector plans in addition to
  the reproductive health and family planning
  programe .
• .

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• There are efforts to keep the prevalence of
  infection at its current level and to decrease
  it.
• Yemen adopted the global goals in term of
  prevention, with emphasis on issues against
  discrimination and stigma

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Status of development of the National Health
System in Yemen

• Allocation of fund for HIV/AIDS Program in the
  budget of the MOPHP.
• The MOPHP has approved the initiative of 3 X5
  adopted by WHO others to provide treatment for
  3 million PLWA by the end of 2005 .

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Status of development of the National Health
System in Yemen

• Preparation of multi-sectoral plan to tackle
  HIV/AIDS.
• Establishment of poverty unit in the MOPHP for
  poverty is considered to be the most significant
  factor in spreading the epidemic.
• Effective and successive role of theme group.

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successes

• Training of Health Care Providers
• Education activities (In and out of schools))
• Passive Surveillance ( Among some of high risk
  groups I.e STDs ,Prisoners..)
• Testing of blood donations is carried out under
  the activities of National Blood Bank.

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successes

• The National AIDS Programe adopted a plan of
  counseling to be implemented as an important
  activity .
• Establishment of the counseling unit (HOTLINE )
  in NAP .

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Challenges

• Inadequate financing for health facilities and
  advocacy.
• Lack of availability and quality counseling
  services .
• lack of awareness of the problem.
• Inadequate participation of other relevant
  sectors in implementing HIV/AIDS prevention and
  Care activities

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Challenges

• Lack of explicit media policies for advocacy
  purposes regarding sexual education.
• Inadequate integration of STIs care at the
  primary health care level
• Shortage of trained staff to provide care to
  HIV/AIDS infected persons.
• Inadequate involvement of NGOs especially in
  outreach and reaching vulnerable groups such as
  sex workers

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Challenges

• Ineffective coordination among various
  implementing agencies.
• In availability of database on HIV/AIDS
  knowledge and risk behavior.

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FUTURE PLANS Of NAP

• Strengthening counseling activities with emphasis
  on Counseling and Voluntary Testing (CVT)
• More involvement of NGOs in Programme
  activities.15
• Reaching vulnerable groups
• Better care of HIV/AIDS persons

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• THANKS