Leveraging Uganda company clinics to expand AIDS treatment to surrounding communities

Purpose of the work: Work with rural Ugandan businesses to open up their company owned clinics to offer HIV/AIDS treatment to members of the surrounding communities.

Information used: Program and clinic data from five Ugandan businesses participating in the initiative

Methods Used: The USAID-funded Business PART (Preventing HIV/AIDS and Accelerating Access to ARVs) Project serves as a broker between the Ugandan private sector and the Ministry of Health to expand the provision of ART. EMG builds the capacity of company clinics for MOH accreditation. With this accreditation, the clinic can receive free Global Fund ARVs, which the company uses to provide treatment to community members.

Major Results: The “Company To Community HIV/AIDS Treatment Initiative” is co-implemented by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, which provides through the Ugandan MOH the ARVs for the community members while USAID/Uganda funded Business PART Project provides marketing, peer education, training of private providers and monitoring/evaluation support. Data from five rural Ugandan companies (beer manufacturer, mining concern, tea estates, flower grower and cement plant) indicate that approximately 150 community members are receiving anti-retrovirals with nearly 500 HIV positive members being monitored from the aforementioned 5 companies. The same five companies have provided in total nearly 5,000 HIV voluntary counseling and testing sessions on both an outreach and company clinic provided basis. The company provides for CD4+ tests, VCT kits and other relevant lab work, Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis, clinic time and resources as well as outreach programs into the communities themselves.

Policy Implications: Rural Ugandan for profit companies can provide sustainable and comparatively efficient medical care to community members if that responsibility is shared with government and donors.