Capacity Building
Capacity Building for Treatment and Care
In addition to providing antiretroviral drugs to treat and prevent HIV, within the context of Nigerian National HIV/AIDS strategic framework, the Institute provides continuing education to providers involved in HIV care while assisting the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) in developing an evidence-base for guiding policy on treatment.
In collaboration with FMOH, NACA, and other development partners, the Institute has been supporting infrastructural upgrades and capacity building for the treatment and care of people living with HIV/AIDS at sites that it supports in Nigeria. Through its ACTION Project, IHVN has as of 30th June 2010, trained 17,043 health care providers in ARV care, strategic information/M&E, palliative care and support, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, good laboratory practice, TB/HIV, HIV counseling and testing, injection safety and blood safety – testing.
IHVN has activated 84 laboratories primary, secondary and tertiary health institutions in the country under the aegis of President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Most of these laboratories are located in IHVN supported sites.
Laboratory scientists at the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) sites under the National PMTCT program were among the first sets of personnel who received training on Rapid HIV Testing at the Institute’s Training Laboratory in Asokoro, Abuja. The scientists, mainly from the Federal Medical Centers in the country, were taught how to detect antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2 using kits in line with the National Testing algorithm.
So far 2,115 laboratory scientists have been trained in many areas of good laboratory practice; 1036 on TB/HIV; 2,392 on injection safety; 955 on HCT; 1,028 on AB; and 395 on blood safety – testing. Others include 2,581 on ARV Care; 1,386 on strategic information/M&E; 3,219 on palliative care and support; and 1,739 on prevention – PMTCT. Also trained were 197 health care workers on policy development.
This is your opportunity to improve yourself, participate in IHVN Research and PEPFAR training