Program Mission

In partnership with the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine and the KwaZulu Natal Department of Health, the 20,000+ Partnership aims to reduce the mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) rate of HIV from an estimated 21 percent to 5 percent across three districts (Ethekwini, Umgungundlovu and Ugu), by the end of 2010. The partnership also strives to create capacity for continuous improvement within participating organizations.

Program Spotlight

The Ethekwini, Umgungundlovu, and Ugu districts have a population of about 5.5 million people. The 20,000+ Partnership works with about 15 district hospitals that support about 242 primary health care clinics in these regions. One of the biggest challenges in meeting the goals of the 20,000+ Partnership is the communication of key information and data between district hospitals and primary health care clinics.

Progress

Since the program began in 2008, there has been a consistent increase in both the testing of antenatal clients and pre-test HIV counseling (called dual therapy), which has helped identify and treat mothers at risk of transmitting HIV to their babies. The implementation of the program itself is also thriving, as nearly all clinics are being visited by quality mentors and testing changes for improvement.

The delivery of dual therapy to mothers and babies increased from 12.2% to 94.9% from April to December 2008 in the participating King Edward Hospital, Durban, South Africa.

The Road Ahead

The project continues to focus on providing women with their HIV test results and a CD4 test (for those who test positive) at the same time, rather than at a second booking. This ensures that women are identified for treatment as soon as possible. Data collection, completeness and accuracy also continue to be a priority focus area. Each of these improvements helps to close the gap in care that exists for HIV positive mothers and their children.

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