The Differentiated Service Delivery (DSD) programme of IAS – the International AIDS Society – will convene country teams from Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia for a workshop to discuss simplification of HIV service delivery.
HIV treatment programmes across eastern and southern Africa are entering a new phase. As programmes mature and resources become increasingly constrained, maintaining high-quality lifelong HIV treatment requires services that are person-centred, clinically appropriate and efficient. DSD provides a framework for reducing unnecessary interactions with the health system for people established on ART, encouraging self care, while ensuring more intensive support is available when needed.
The workshop will focus on three concrete areas for national policy change: (1) annual clinical visits for people established on ART facilitated through multi-month scripting; (2) timing of first viral load and frequency of viral load monitoring; and (3) differentiated re-engagement after treatment interruption. Across all three areas, the emphasis is on agreeing on the policy direction, identifying where national guidance needs to change, and defining the immediate steps needed to advance that change.