Botswana’s national anti-retroviral (ARV) programme for HIV and Aids patients is beginning to take effect, according to Botswana’s Health Ministry.
A statement issued in Johannesburg on behalf of the ministry on Tuesday said this is reflected in median baseline CD4 counts increasing from 50 to 84 since the inception of the programme.
”In addition, with patient follow-ups at 90% and adherence levels at 86%, Botswana has shown that developing countries can successfully distribute ARV therapy in the public health-care system,” it said.
Botswana, which had an HIV prevalence rate among the adult population of above 35%, introduced ARV medication in the public health-care system in January 2002.
The programme is named Masa, Setswana for ”dawn”, to signify the hope ARV offers people living with HIV and Aids.
”Unprecedented levels of commitment from senior leadership and the fact that this programme is available free of cost to the citizens of the country distinguish it.
”The programme is a case study for Africa and presents an ideal forum for learning many long-overdue lessons on what it will take to successfully introduce ARV therapy on a mass scale,” the statement said.
Botswana Ministry of Health Deputy Permanent Secretary Dr Patson Mazonde said he is proud to report that to date the programme has been rolled out to 17 sites with close to 28 000 people enrolled in the programme.
”We aim to roll out the programme to a further 15 sites by year-end, which will mark one of the most rapid roll-outs of ARV therapy in a capacity-constrained environment,” he said.
The Botswana government will showcase the Masa programme at the 15th International Aids Conference currently being held in Bangkok, Thailand, in the hope that the lessons learned will help other countries and organisations overcome and bypass some of the challenges it faced, the statement said. — Sapa