16th International AIDS Conference Toronto, Canada - August 13 - 18, 2006

BUILDING REFERRAL NETWORKS BETWEEN TRADITIONAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS AND BIOMEDICAL HEALTH SYSTEM - A STRATEGY TO REACH THE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES WITH COMPREHENSIVE HIV SERVICES

Int Conf AIDS. 2006 Aug 13-18;16 Abstract No. ThAd0301

Balaba D.¹, Kyeyune P.¹, Lutalo I.², Semafumu E.^3
1 Traditional and Modern Health Practitioners Together against AIDS and other diseases (THETA), Kampala, Uganda, ² Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Institute of Public Health Fellowship Program, Kampala, Uganda, ³ The AIDS HIV Integrated Model District Program, Kampala, Uganda

ISSUES: In Sub-Saharan access to comprehensive HIV/ AIDS care in the rural setting continues to remain a big challenge due to limited infrastructure and health personnel.

Traditional health practioners are ubiquitous throughout Africa and they are a source of care to 70% of the populace.

DESCRIPTION: Traditional and modern Health practitioners together against AIDS and other diseases (THETA) is an NGO based in Uganda engaged 276 traditional healers and 89 biomedical health practioners in 4 districts in Uganda in a one year , 4-day monthly training, joint meetings and field visits to increase their knowledge and skills in comprehensive STI/HIV/AIDS prevention and care. A referral network was developed between THP, health facilities and community health workers; this included development and use of referral forms, THP client care forms and a monitoring system.

Over a 6 month period referrals from THP to service centers for VCT, PMTCT, TB and OI treatment raised from 44 to1315 persons and communities receiving HIV/ AIDS prevention messages and counseling from THP has raised from 1154 to 12, 944 over the same period.

LESSONS LEARNED:

1. Empowering traditional health practitioners and linking them to adequate referral facilities creates a sustainable and expanded HIV care system.
2. THP are willing to collaborate with BHP in HIV/AIDS prevention and care given that they are rooted in the communities and therefore equally affected by the epidemic.
3. THP can play a vital role reinforcing communities to adopt in positive health seeking behaviour given their in-depth knowledge of the socio-cultural environment.
4. Participation of health workers in joint meetings helps them change their attitudes towards Traditional medicine

RECOMMENDATIONS: If universal access to comprehensive HIV/AIDS care in sub-Saharan Africa is to be achieved, there is an urgent need to build functional community referral networks.

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2006-08-13
ThAd0301

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