Success Stories

Towards the Elimination of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission

“Community follow-up is essential. It is indispensable. FGH support of community personnel who make this immediate and permanent connection with patients is something I consider fundamental for the achievement of these results.” – Dr. Tilvério Gasolina

Clinical Advisor’s Commitment Leads to a More Than Threefold Increase in Patients Completing Tuberculosis Preventive Therapy (TPT)

“It’s valuable work; if Clinical Advisors ceased to exist, data would fall.” Timóteo Makenda Quelimane District HIV and STI Focal Point   In the first quarter of COP19, VUMC/FGH faced a 33% budget reduction, compared to the COP18 budget. As a result, the VUMC/FGH team was restructured, including a reduction in the provincial and district TB teams. As a consequence, during COP19, the VUMC/FGH TB program had only one TB/HIV Provincial Manager and two Regional TB/HIV Coordinators.

FGH Rapidly Expands 3-month ART Dispensation during the COVID-19 Pandemic

By the end of June 2020, 185,849 patients on combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) were receiving their medication refills on a quarterly basis, commonly referred to as three-month drug dispensation (3MDD). This number represents an impressive 76% of all patients currently receiving ART. This is more than a three-fold increase from the previous reporting period (54,282 patients at the end of COP19 Q2) - the largest proportional increase FGH supported health facilities have ever registered during any reporting period. 

Implementation of a Standardized Operating Procedure Successfully Improved the Receipt of Viral Load Results Among ART-Treated Eligible Adults and Children Receiving Longitudinal HIV Care at the Namacurra Sede in Zambézia Province, Mozambique

In Mozambique, in 2015, viral load (VL) testing became routine for pregnant and lactating women (PLW) who had been receiving combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 3 months or longer. It is very important to monitor VL in patients receiving ART in order to determine whether or not the patient is adhering to their prescribed ART regime and whether or not their treatment is effectively suppressing HIV in the body. Recent programmatic data showed an overall VL coverage rate of approximately 40% in COP18. By the end of COP19 Q1, VL coverage at FGH supported sites had risen to 49%.