New research on the impact of ART availability and adherance

Submitted by ICW on 21 July, 2008 - 10:22.
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NEW REPORT: The impact of increased ART availability on programmes supporting people living with HIV and AIDS

ART has been rolled out at a phenomenal rate. And there is still more to do to reach all those who need HIV treatment.  But with the speed at which ART has become more widely available, what are the impacts on both the people accessing ART and the programmes which support them?  Listening to feedback from partner organisations, UK aid agency CAFOD commissioned research

into the changing expectations of clients on the programmes that serve them.  Plurpol Consulting interviewed and surveyed 30 programmes (of which half are CAFOD partners) with experience in 25 countries. The report of the research is rich with experiences from programmes which describe the complexity of the issues they continue to face despite the availability of ART, the new challenges that ART brings, and their response strategies. Some key findings of the research:                                                                                                             

  • Providing ART is not the final answer in HIV treatment - the increased availability of ART is impacting on organizations in several ways as people are returning to health and have new expectations of themselves and the programmes.  The life-long nature of the treatment means that the sustainability of programmes are at risk because they cannot support the increasing numbers of people on ART with their current resources.
  • Organizations are having to develop expertise in ART support services and economic empowerment, sometimes successfully, and sometimes at the expense of other services.
  • Two case studies are featured of programmes with successful integrated economic empowerment/income generation and HIV programmes.
  • The experiences of Latin America (where ART has been available for over 10 years) serve as stark warnings about future challenges potentially awaiting African and Asian organizations: government and donor withdrawal in support for other HIV related programmes; procuring treatment for opportunistic infections which accompany HIV and AIDS; and the physically and psychologically devastating side effects of the ART drugs themselves.

***Download the full report here and contribute your comments and experiences on the Plurpol Forum*** http://plurpol.invisionzone.com/index.php?act=idx

 A second part of the research looked at ART adherence. Both reports are now available to download.  You are welcome to add your comments and feedback.