Investing in public health-driving prosperity for the present and future generations

Countries across Europe and the World are faced with growing health, inequity, social security, economic and environmental challenges. We need urgent, innovative and priority-focused investment to ensure sustainable development for the present and future generations. Doing business as usual is unsustainable with high costs for individuals, families, communities, society, the economy and the planet. Governments can have a major impact on all factors influencing health and wellbeing, on the way people live and on their everyday choices. The interconnected nature of current challenges and possible solutions needs strong leadership, strategic and political commitment, and coherent action. It also requires new approaches and financing mechanisms building on cross-sector collaboration and citizen involvement in decision-making, i.e. participatory governance for health

Towards domestic financing of national HIV responses lessons learnt from Serbia

This report highlights the efforts of Serbia to continue funding and implementation of the national HIV response which had been significantly supported by the GF from 2003 to 2014 and resulted in an intensified communication and consultation between governmental and NGO sector. Serbia has a long tradition in national HIV programming. There is clear evidence that the most effective programmes are those in which civil society's role, engagement in providing prevention, care and support services for key populations and PLHIV and established partnership with other relevant stakeholders are strongest and equitable. Moreover, interventions should be supported by enabling legal and policy frameworks. This includes measures to increase availability and access to different services and to minimize law enforcement and other structural barriers. Constant advocacy work with relevant stakeholders and standardization of services is also recognized as very important.sch_iihpub4571pu

Closing the prevention of mother-to-child transmission gap in Nigeria: an evaluation of service improvement intervention in Nigeria

Objectives: The objective was to assess improvement, or lack thereof, in the uptake of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) services at selected sites supported sites by the Global HIV/AIDS Initiative Nigeria (GHAIN). Design: The study used aggregated monthly service statistics to evaluate service improvement efforts that were conducted before and after these were undertaken between July 2007-June 2008. Settings and subjects: The service improvement efforts took place in 60 public healthcare facilities. Outcome measures: The study measured changes in the number of pregnant women who attended antenatal clinics for the first time, the number of pregnant women tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the number of HIV-positive women receiving antiretroviral (ARV) prophylaxis, and the service ratio, an indicator of the relative uptake of ARV prophylaxis. An estimate of MTCT events that were averted through ARV prophylaxis taken by the pregnant women was also calculated. Results: One hundred and twenty thousand, five hundred and thirty-seven women attended an antenatal clinic (ANC) for the first time. There was an average of 167.4 monthly attendances per facility. ANC attendance increased per facility by 11.1 women monthly post-intervention (p-value < 0.01). The uptake of HIV testing was 87%, with a monthly average increase of 17.8 women tested per facility (p-value < 0.01). ARV prophylaxis uptake rose from 3.3-5.4 women per facility per month (p-value < 0.01). The service ratio per facility improved from 5.3 women receiving ARVs to 6.5 for every 10 women who tested positive for HIV (p-value < 0.01). Applying risk reduction estimates of different ARV  regimens, it was estimated that between 88-169 MTCT events were averted pre-intervention, and 143-276 events, post-intervention. Conclusion: Service improvement intervention improved the utilisation of PMTCT services. It should be a key intervention that is used to close the PMTCT gap in Nigeria.Keywords: HIV, PMTCT, evaluation, Nigeria, service improvement, effectivenes

Modelling optimized investment approach for Uzbekistan

Istanbulsch_iihpub4594pu

Modelling an optimized investment approach for Tajikistan

Istanbulsch_iihpub4576pu

NGO social contracting fact sheet Serbia

HIV epidemiology in brief Serbia has a concentrated HIV epidemic, with 1,956 people living with HIV officially registered (65% of the estimated number) and 1,300 of them receiving antiretroviral therapy (coverage 43% of the estimated and 66% of the registered number of people living with HIV). In 2014, more than 60% of new HIV infections were diagnosed among men who have sex with men (MSM) and 4% among people who inject drugs (PWID).sch_iihpub4587pu

NGO social contracting fact sheet Tajikistan

HIV epidemiology in brief Tajikistan has a concentrated HIV epidemic, with 5,242 people living with HIV officially registered (33% of the estimated number), and 2,167 of them receiving antiretroviral therapy (coverage 14% of the estimated and 41% of the registered number of people living with HIV) in 2014. Next to heterosexual transmission, injecting drug use is the most common way of HIV transmission.sch_iihpub4588pu

NGO social contracting fact sheet Ukraine

HIV epidemic in Ukraine in brief Ukraine has a concentrated HIV epidemic, with 137,390 officially registered people living with HIV, which is 62% of the estimated number of people living with HIV in the country. In 2014, 66,409 people living with HIV were receiving antiretroviral therapy (coverage of 30% of the estimated number of people living with HIV and 48% of the registered people living with HIV).sch_iihpub4589pu

NGO social contracting fact sheet Belarus

HIV epidemiology in brief - Belarus has a concentrated HIV epidemic, with 13,527 officially registered people living with HIV, which is 50% of the estimated actual number of people living with HIV in the country1.sch_iihpub4573pu