Reposted by Sophia Forum
Sophia Forum
@sophiaforum.bsky.social
112 followers 168 following 15 posts
We exist to empower all women & trans women living with & at risk of HIV to reach their full potential, ensure their voices are heard and needs prioritized within the health sector www.sophiaforum.net www.womenandprep.org.uk
![03rd February 2025
From: THE SECRETARY FOR HEALTH, MINISTRY OF HEALTH,
P.O. BOX 30377, LILONGWE 3
To: DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS
Attention: Directors of Health Services, DIRECTOR GENERAL, ALL CENTRAL HOSPITALS
RE: PROVISION OF UNINTERRUPTED HIV SERVICES ACROSS ALL HEALTHFACILITIES
In reference to the circular dated 28th January 2025 and issued with the same subject as above, the Ministry of Health wishes to communicate the following measures as part of the contingency plan to respond to the temporary suspension of support by PEPFAR and its implementing partners.
The ministry instructs that these measures be implemented without delay. The measures are as follows:
• Redeployment of trained Ministry of Health (MOH) staff for HIV testing, ART dispensing, and targeted viral load monitoring to fill gaps left by PEPFAR-funded personnel.
• Optimize 6-month ART dispensation to reduce clinic visits and ease the burden on health facilities.
• Train and utilise community health workers (Health Surveillance Assistants and community midwives' assistants) for ART refills targeting stable and eligible clients.
• Train and utilise community structures like Community ART Groups (CAGS} in the high burden districts in the Southern region for ART refills targeting stable and eligible clients.
• Stock redistribution in case of over-stock/understock to avert expiries and stock outs.
• Facility-level task shifting, leveraging Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs) and hospital attendants to assume responsibilities previously managed by PEPFAR-supported staff.
• Leverage private sector and CHAM/IHAM facilities to absorb ART patients (from high-volume ART clinics) if necessary.
[continued on p2]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:qd7hkt5zfohvhjzvaejn73nl/bafkreiddnsfbtv5hrk74yllont37bdzl2myc3owpmpkcxyrpwjmnazcmue)
![• Strengthen telemedicine and digital health platforms for ART patient follow-up and remote clinical consultations.
• Expand the role of Community Health Workers for patient follow-up, defaulter tracing, and condom distribution.
• Nationwide site-level quarterly data validation and supervision of HIV services shall now be conducted bi-annually by district teams with technical and logistical support from the central government.
Further to that, ALL health facilities offering HIV care must adopt the following measures:
Category A: The following services are considered as lifesaving
(immediate priority) and therefore must be continued at all costs.
• ART Initiation and Continuation (Facility-based).
• HIV Rapid Testing for:
o Pregnant women, sick children, and HIV-exposed infants (at 12 and 24 months).
o In-patients, STI patients, TB clients, suspected HIV cases, and blood donors.
• Targeted HIV Viral Load Testing (for patients suspected of treatment failure).
• TB Screening for ART patients.
• Facility-Based Condom Distribution.
• ART Dispensation (Optimizing 6-month ARV supply for stable patients).
• Infant HIV Prophylaxis (Nevirapine [NVP], 2P [Zidovudine/Lamivudine/Nevirapine], Cotrimoxazole [CPT]}.
• Electronic Medical Records System (EMRSJ Support (Data security, ART patient registration, and facility-based data capturing}.
Category B: The following services are considered as essential (high priority) and therefore must be continued but requiring adjustments.
[continued on p 3]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:qd7hkt5zfohvhjzvaejn73nl/bafkreiddhekkap5xnpkljr2vbey56tekfcakz2hfe36kuh2io7a5gp6nkq)
