Regional Knowledge Hub for the Care and Treatment of HIV/AIDS in Eurasia

AIHA/KH C&T launched a new initiative - Capacity Building of HIV Medical Specialists in Turkmenistan - in response to a request from the UNFPA and WHO offices in country.

This meeting brought together the national working group with Russian HIV/AIDS expert from the Federal AIDS Center in Moscow, who are currently assisting with the development of national HIV/AIDS clinical, diagnostic, and treatment guidelines based on WHO's revised recommendations on ART for adults and adolescents. At the same time, 24 Turkmen specialists: ID physicians, epidemiologist, TB-specialists, laboratory specialists, gynecologists and faculty from the State Medical University were trained in diagnostic, treatment and management of HIV-infection.

This 3.5-day training was conducted by AIHA/KH C&T with support from the EU-BLR WHO Country Office.

Using a multidisciplinary approach, experienced faculty from St. Petersburg and Minsk taught 31 physicians, nurses, psychologists, and social workers from Belarus advanced adult ART and management of opportunistic infections with the goal of improving provision of comprehensive care and treatment to PLHIV, as well as increasing adherence to treatment.

With financial support from USAID through the Strategic Health Partnership Initiative, AIHA conducted a ToT on new HIV and TB courses for postgraduate and undergraduate education developed with leading Russian medical universities in 2011. AIHA also conducted a session and on innovative educational methodologies for 38 heads of the infectious diseases and pulmonology departments of most medical schools of Russia and the CIS. The following three courses were presented:

• "Issues of Specialized Medical Care for Patients with HIV-infection and Sexually Transmitted Diseases," a postgraduate course developed with Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry and Bashkir State Medical University;
• "Issues of Specialized Medical Care for HIV/TB Co-infection," a postgraduate distance learning course developed with the St. Petersburg Medical Academy of Post Graduate Studies; and
• "TB Epidemiology and Prevention," an undergraduate course developed by the I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University.

AIHA representatives took part in the International MDG-6 Forum, participating in a number of events, debates, and discussions. AIHA presented key program results at the Strategic Health Partnership Initiative session.

At the exhibition, AIHA organized a number of activities, including the presentation of AIHA programs to the high-level US delegation that included Ambassador E. Goosby, US Global AIDS Coordinator and USAID/Russia representatives. AIHA also distributed HIV/AIDS and TB products developed by AIHA/KH C&T, along with major translated materials, CDs, and other educational tools.

In response to a request from Center PAS in Moldova, AIHA conducted a 5-day training titled "Integrated Medical HIV Case Management" for multidisciplinary teams consisting of coordinators of services who provide care and treatment to PLHIV in Moldova.

The faculty team of Russian and Ukrainian experts in HIV/AIDS and substance abuse treatment shared international best practices in the field of integrated medical HIV case management with 25 participants, who were also trained in mechanisms of coordination and integration of services and developing possible algorithms for building the system of comprehensive care and treatment to PLHIV in Moldova.

This three and a half day training took place in Minsk, Belarus, on June 7 through 10, 2011. It was conducted by AIHA and the Knowledge Hub with support from the EU-BLR WHO Country Office.

Through a multidisciplinary approach, experienced faculty from St. Petersburg, Russia, trained 21 specialists (physicians, nurses, psychologists and social workers) from Belarus advanced adult ART, management of opportunistic infections for provision of comprehensive care and treatment to PLHIV, as well as improvement of adherence to treatment.

On March 15-18, 2011, a four-day training on art therapy for children with HIV was conducted in Tashkent for 16 health care providers, psychologists and social workers from Uzbekistan who manage children living with HIV.

Participants were potential specialists for the provision of art therapy to HIV-positive patients at the local level. The training agenda included methodologies of art therapy, psycho-physiological and clinical approaches in art therapy, psycho-therapeutic factors and effects of art therapy, and organizational principles of art therapy for HIV-positive patients. Leading faculty in art therapy from St. Petersburg taught the course.