New Report on HIV/AIDS Funding
The Centre for Global Development has published a new report on the need for a longer term approach to HIV/AIDS funding. The report, called “Zeroing In: AIDS Donors and Africa’s Health Workforce”, finds that the long term sustainability and capacity of the health workforce is not sufficient to meet health needs, particularly those of HIV/AIDS patients.
The report outlines the key dimensions of the health worker crisis in Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia. Six recommendations are also made for the future funding of health services:
• Pay to train new doctors and nurses
• Train health workers as part of the health system, not just for donor-supported projects
• Fully invest in better task allocation for all health outcomes
• Define the role of community health workers as tasks are shifted downwards
• Provide performance incentives for all health services, not just for HIV/AIDS
• Move beyond hiring workers on short-term staffing for a long term disease
AMREF recognises that investment in health workers is key in meeting the needs of those living with HIV/AIDS.
We train health professionals in over 40 African countries. Every year we also train 10,000 community health workers who bring health care closer to people in marginalised communities. In South Africa, for example, AMREF has worked with over 100 traditional healers to improve their knowledge of HIV/AIDS and trained them to provide counselling for those at risk. AMREF’s advocacy work focuses on raising awareness of the health worker shortage and the negative effects this has on health care provision in Africa
You can download the report here http://www.cgdev.org/content/publications/detail/1424385/