AIDSTAR-One/India

AIDSTAR-One/India provides knowledge management and technical assistance support to India's National AIDS Control Program (NACP) at national and state levels as well as to the US Government PEPFAR team.

Knowledge Management

AIDSTAR-One/India is documenting promising HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support programs in three southern states of India: Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. At the request of the US Government PEPFAR team, AIDSTAR-One/India also completed a series of desk reviews covering human resources, private sector involvement, and HIV integration.

Technical Assistance

AIDSTAR-One/India provided technical, administrative, and logistical support to the US Government PEPFAR team in the development of their five-year technical assistance model for supporting the India HIV response. AIDSTAR-One has been working closely with the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) to support the design of the next five-year phase of the NACP. In the early stage of the design, AIDSTAR-One managed and facilitated participatory thematic working groups with representatives from local, state, national, and international stakeholders from throughout India. Currently, AIDSTAR-One is participating on the core writing team of the new NACP strategy.

AIDSTAR-One is also supporting the State AIDS Control Societies and Technical Support Units to implement targeted HIV prevention, treatment, testing and counseling, care, and support in two northern states of India (Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand). AIDSTAR-One may also implement technical assessments, including social and environmental impact assessments, and an assessment of PMTCT services currently provided in India.

Case studies

A Positive Partnership: Integrating HIV and Tuberculosis Services in Karnataka, India: Integrating TB and HIV programs at the grassroots level has and continues to be a challenge globally.

Alcohol Consumption and HIV Risk in India: Y.R.G. CARE provided peer education on the risks of alcohol consumption and HIV in informal bars known as wine shops in Chennai, India.

Avahan-India AIDS Initiative: A global model for combination HIV prevention programming that meets the complex and varied needs of most-at-risk populations.

Community-Based Initiatives for HIV Program Management among Most-at-Risk Populations: Community-based initiatives play a significant role in addressing HIV within communities of MARPs.

District Comprehensive Approach for HIV Prevention and Continuum of Care in Maharashtra, India: A unique approach to link available public, private, and community resources to identify and reach people who are most vulnerable to HIV with comprehensive services.

The Humsafar Trust: The Humsafar Trust works with MSM in Mumbai and links community advocacy and support activities to the development of effective HIV prevention and health services.

Integrating HIV Care: Improving Programs, Improving the Lives of People Living with HIV: This integrated clinical and social support program used quality improvement, decentralization, task shifting, and community engagement to identify and address challenges to sustaining HIV treatment programs in India.

Integrating Resources for Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence: The Samastha project used a "link worker" approach to improve coordination and collaboration among a large number of community, public, and private HIV service organizations.

Micro-planning in Andhra Pradesh: The Samastha Project utilized an innovative community-based micro-planning process to train HIV peer outreach workers.

Mobile Clinics in India Take to the Road: Bringing HIV testing and counseling and sexually transmitted infection services to those most at risk.

SANGRAM's Collectives: A women-led network of collective empowerment groups in India is developing and administering projects that promote and protect the rights—and health—of MARPs.

Strengthening HIV/AIDS Programs in Two Indian States: This case study focuses on the development of Samastha's technical assistance strategy and approaches.

Desk Reviews

Human Resource Performance Management

This article summarizes key review articles in the area of performance management (PM) in health. While most interventions focus on what health workers "can do," performance failures more often occur in what health workers "will do." Supervision appears to be the most effective PM intervention.

Download the Desk Review (PDF, 216 KB)

Private Sector Options for Health Care

This document summarizes the evidence from key review articles for private sector success in providing health care services in low-income countries. While the strength of the evidence for contracting out is weak, contracting out can increase access to services even in remote areas. Evidence for franchising, efficiency of contracted services, and direct provider or client payments is also weak, but all seem to offer some possibility of future success.

Download the Desk Review (PDF, 118 KB)

Recruitment/Retention to Improve Rural Service

This document summarizes the evidence from key review articles on interventions to improve recruitment and retention of health workers in rural areas. There is no strong evidence to support any of the interventions tested, but selection of medical students with parents in the rural area is somewhat effective in improving rural retention. Most studies found that simple interventions are introduced to attract/retain staff when, in fact, rural service incentives are complex.

Download the Desk Review (PDF, 129 KB)

Task-shifting in Health Care Settings

This document summarizes the evidence from key review articles on interventions to improve health care personnel availability through the use of task-shifting. Although delegation of tasks from physicians to paramedical personal and from clinical staff to layworkers has proven effective, there are criteria that make task-shifting more effective.

Download the Desk Review (PDF, 112 KB)

HIV Services Integration with Sexually Transmitted Infection/Tuberculosis/Reproductive Tract Infection Services

This document details how integration of sexual and reproductive health, tuberculosis, maternal and child health, and HIV referrals, communications, and services can provide opportunities for increased value to clients, providers, and programs.

Download the Desk Review (PDF, 492 KB)

Public-Private Partnerships and Corporate Social Responsibility in the HIV Response

The purpose of this document is to provide a broad overview of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in India. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, though not typically categorized as PPPs, often are a result of PPPs and thus are included in this document. The paper highlights challenges, opportunities, models, and guidelines.

Download the Desk Review (PDF, 492 KB)