Differentiated Service Delivery a Solution to Effective Health Care Delivery

Tanaka Chirombo, Youth and Society
Shyrene Mvula, International Community of Women Living with HIV-Malawi Chapter

It was due a low uptake and access of key HIV services with a total of 3.6% females and 2.5% males living with HIV (aged 15-24).This led to this initiative with a goal to improve ART services for over 100 YPLHIV by addressing a number of barriers to accessing HIV treatment and care, including stigma and discrimination. A differentiated care model was piloted that was based on the needs of the YPLHIV at Mapale clinic in Mzuzu. There was a 20% increase in the number of YPLHIV and 100% increase in number of those retained to care from the baseline. This proved that delivering ART with young positive health care workers with intensive adherence counselling for the unstable offered by peer supporters contribute to an increase in uptake of key HIV services.