Public Policy and Management - Essay Example

?AIDS IN AFRICA (school) Introduction HIV/AIDS is one of the most pervasive diseases currently afflicting many countries of the world. Global statistics based on WHO 2009 figures reveal that there are 33.3 million people living with HIV/AIDS and 2009 statistics also reveal about 1.8 million deaths due to HIV/AIDS. In Sub-Saharan Africa, there are 22.5 million people living with AIDS and there were 1.3 million individuals who have died from the disease by the end of 2009 (WHO, 2011). These are alarming statistics which signify undesirable possibilities for the health of the people of Africa, from the young to the old and in both genders. This paper shall now discuss the major international policy measures and governance arrangements which have been put in place to address HIV/AIDS in Africa. Discussion The international policy measures for HIV/AIDS in Africa are tied in with the US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). This program is focused on health system strengthening which highlights the clinical administrative systems and the building of networks for the management of HIV/AIDS (HRSA, 2011). The HRSA program is also meant to cover innovative care and support models in order to reduce barriers to treatment. In the implementation of the above strategies, the HRSA often coordinates with the in-country measures of implementation. It also secures government relations with the country involved and seeks to manage grants and cooperative agreements (HRSA, 2011). There are various activities which the HRSA seeks to implement in Africa. The first activity is on improving HIV/AIDS care and treatment by securing resources for organizations in the delivery of HIV care and treatment and to expand antiretroviral therapy among lower-income patients (Kendall, 2011, p. 1). These activities are being implemented in Botswana, Guyana, Haiti, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambian (HRSA, 2011). This activity has now covered the care of about 477,000 individuals and ART for about 180,000 AIDS sufferers. Such expansion in activities has been made possible by the increased funding for new and locally-based partners (Kendall, 2011, p. 1). The second activity by the HRSA was on the increase of health manpower and institutional capacity (Lyght, 2008, p. 3). This activity has been made possible through quality improvement capacity development which has been set forth to build a diverse international program in strengthening human capacity for AIDS care. The HIVQUAL International is considered one of the programs which provide systematic methods in assessing quality of care in clinical settings (HRSA, 2011). This has also been used in different countries where AIDS services are being issued. It ensures use of limited resources and improves quality of HIV care based on national guidelines. Another aspect of this activity is on training capacity development (Lyght, 2008, p. 3). The goal is to improve the capacity of local institutions in preventing and treating HIV patients. This program is meant to issue technical assistance in terms of planning and design of training programs (Lyght, 2008, p. 3). It currently operates in Botswana, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Malawi, and even China (HRSA, 2011). This activity also fosters capacity building. The goal of this program is to strengthen the professional capacity of nurses trained to care for HIV patients (Lyght, 2008, p. 3). This program currently operates in South Africa and Swaziland. The next aspect of this activity is on twinning partnerships (AIHA, 2010, p. 4). The goal of this program is to carry out partnerships between organizations and programs in the US and in developing nations in terms of information exchange and in building human resources capacity. This program is currently being implemented in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Botswana (HRSA, 2011). Finally, under this activity, new partners initiatives are also implemented. New Partners Initiatives are part of the US President’s plan for AIDS relief within communities and organizations (Durr, n.d, p. 3). This program seeks to offer technical and organizational capacity in order to help ensure local partnerships. The third activity area being focused on by the HRSA is on enhancing data collection and evaluation (PEPFAR, 2011, p. 86). CAREWare is an electronic health information program designed by the HRSA in order to gather data on clients receiving treatment under the Ryan White HIV program. This program has now gone global and is being implemented in Africa. It was first implemented in 2000; it is meant to institute an easy-to-use and standardized tool for HIV providers in gathering data about their clients (HRSA, 2011). It is meant to monitor the quality of care; to maintain schedules; to track medications used; and formulate reports. This software is being used in different countries in order to assist in the treatment and tracking of their own citizens who are afflicted with HIV/AIDS. The program in Africa has also been tied into donor governments like the US and other non-governmental organizations who have poured in their support for the AIDS program in Africa. The primary drive of these assisting governments and organizations has been the reduction of new HIV infections through prevention programs. Another area of concern in this program was on reducing and managing the damage done by AIDS to patients, families, societies, and economies (Cook, 2006, p. 4). Moreover, promoting a program which would ensure the use of ART drugs among AIDS sufferers is being expanded in Africa. The international programs and policies on AIDS have also focused on spreading as much information as possible through the media, posters, lectures, and skits. To some extent, progress has been gained among the youth population in terms of delaying their first sexual experience and in avoiding multiple sexual partners (Cook, 2006, p. 4). During the time of Bush, he also set forth the promotion of prevention programs on abstinence until marriage and marital faithfulness as a means to prevent and reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. Programs for voluntary counseling and VCT testing sponsored by donors were also made available (HRW, 2008). This allowed men and women to evaluate their status in terms of possible HIV contamination. In Botswana, the HIV tests are considered routine medical tests and this practice is being considered for a more widespread application (HRW, 2008). AIDS awareness programs are now being made widely available in African schools and in workplaces (UNESCO, 2005, p. 5). Some other projects are aiming to make condoms widely available, as well as providing widespread instruction for its use. Different programs have been implemented in order to minimize maternal and child transmission through the administration of the anti-HIV drug AZT before and during birth and during infant nursing (Cook, 2006, p. 5). Although the use of this drug has been laced with much controversy due to apparent flaws in its usage and impact, subsequent rulings and studies by experts have deemed the drug safe for use by mothers in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission. Other partnerships have also been set forth in the management of the AIDS pandemic in Africa. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been a major supporter of the AIDS vaccine research and different AIDS programs as pursued with the different African governments (Gates Foundation, p. 5). The Rockefeller Foundation working with the UNAID has supported programs on AIDS in Africa. These groups have worked with Bristol-Myers Squibb, as well as with Merck and Company in the implementation of AIDS programs in Africa (Cook, 2006, p. 7). Pfizer Institute has also funded Uganda’s AIDS Support Organization and Infectious Diseases Institute in order to train 250 AIDS specialists – training them to work and be effective in rural areas. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has committed 60% of its grant funds to Africa and 60% of these grants have been allocated towards implementing AIDS programs (Cook, 2006, p. 7). International concern for the Africa AIDS epidemic was seen in the 1980s as the severity of the disease became greatly apparent. The US was one of the nations greatly concerned about AIDS in Africa. It was prompted to set aside fund allocations for fighting AIDS in the global setting (Cook, 2006, p. 5). Vice President Al Gore proposed the setting aside of $100 million for spending in the global LIFE (Life and Investment in Fighting an Epidemic) AIDS initiative in Africa. Peace Corps were assigned to help manage AIDS in Africa as they became AIDS educators. USAID set forth its program to implement diverse efforts towards direct sponsorship (Cook, 2006, p. 5). It has sponsored AIDS education programs including the training of AIDS educators, counselors, and clinicians; it has supported condom distribution in Africa; and has supported AIDS research. Based on this program, it was able to gain some progress in the AIDS issue by helping reduce the prevalence of the disease in Uganda; by preventing the outbreak of AIDS in Senegal; in reducing the prevalence of other sexually transmissible diseases in Africa; in increasing condom availability in Kenya and other parts of Africa; in assisting children orphaned by AIDS; and in supporting new and useful technologies in the prevention and management of AIDS. Works Cited American International Health Alliance, (2010), Partnering to build capacity, viewed 01 May 2011 from http://www.aiha.com/en/ResourceLibrary/Publications/documents/OVCBooklet-FINAL-10-2010.pdf Cook, N. (2006), AIDS in Africa, CRS Issue Brief for Congress, viewed 01 May 2011 from http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/67156.pdf Durr, B. (n.d), Capacity Building and Ubuntu: The New Partners Initiative Technical Assistance (NuPITA) Experience, New Partners Initiative, viewed 01 May 2011 from http://www.hivcapacityforum.org/userfiles/BarbaraDurr_JSINuPITA_Plenary.pdf Gates Foundation (2006), Working with Botswana to Confront Its Devastating AIDS Crisis, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, viewed 01 May 2011 from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/learning/Documents/ACHAP.pdf Health Resources and Services Administration, (2011), Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and HRSA’s role, US Department of Health and Human Services, viewed 01 May 2011 from http://hab.hrsa.gov/special/global.htm Kendall, A. (2011), U.S. Response to the Global Threat of HIV/AIDS: Basic Facts, Congressional Research Service, viewed 01 May 2011 from http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41645.pdf Human Rights Watch, (2008), Africa: Bush’s Trip Highlights Flaws in US HIV/AIDS Policy, HRW, viewed 01 May 2011 from http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/02/14/africa-bush-s-trip-highlights-flaws-us-hivaids-policy Lyght, J. (2008), HRSA Agency Report to PharmPAC, USPHS, viewed 01 May 2011 from http://www.usphs.gov/corpslinks/pharmacy/comms/pdf/2008/pac1008-hrsa.pdf United States Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, (2005), Improving responses to HIV/AIDS in education sector workplaces, Joint ILO/UNESCO Southern African Subregional Workshop, viewed 01 May 2011 from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001469/146935e.pdf United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, (2011), Fiscal Year 2010: PEPFAR Operational Plan, viewed 01 May 2011 from http://www.pepfar.gov/documents/organization/150800.pdf World Health Organization (2011), Global HIV and AIDS estimates, end of 2009, Avert.org, viewed 01 May 2011 from http://www.avert.org/worldstats.htm Read More