PEPFAR Awards 2023: 17 winning health centers receive awards
- Posted on 04/12/2023 15:04
- Film
- By raymonddzakpata@sante-education.tg
Extract from the article: A ceremony to award trophies and certificates of excellence to partner health centers, winners of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) took place on Friday December 01, 2023, at the Hôtel 2 Février in Lomé. The winning ...
A
ceremony to award trophies and certificates of excellence to partner health
centers, winners of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
(PEPFAR) took place on Friday December 01, 2023, at the Hôtel 2 Février in
Lomé. The winning health facilities have excelled in 20 categories of activity,
in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of
the United States of America to Togo, Elizabeth Fitzsimmons, and the Secretary
General of Togo's Ministry of Health, Dr Martin Kokou Wotobe.
The
PEPFAR project contributes around 10 million dollars each year to strengthen
the fight against AIDS in Togo. Over
the four years of its implementation (from October 2019 to September 2023), the
program has made a significant contribution to the fight against AIDS in Togo,
in partnership with thirty (30) health centers and two (02) autonomous viral
load laboratories in regions with high HIV prevalence, selected in collaboration
with the Ministry of Health and the CNLS.
During this period, 35814 people were diagnosed as HIV-positive. 47035
patients are currently receiving ARV treatment, an increase of 114% in the 30
sites supported by PEPFAR. The viral load suppression rate has also risen from
82% in September 2019 to 95% in September 2023.
To
honor their commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS in Togo, a number of
players were honored at the 4th Togo PEPFAR Awards 2023 ceremony. Renowned
institutions such as CMS Confiance, CHP Aného and CHR Atakpamé, and the NGO
FAMME, once again shone brightly. Indeed, they were victorious in several
categories, each receiving awards and certificates of excellence.
"The U.S. government remains committed to
eradicating the HIV/AIDS pandemic by 2030. Through PEPFAR, we stand with Togo
and will build a healthier, more resilient society," said Ambassador
Elizabeth Fitzsimmons.
For
Dr Sodji Raymond, Executive Director of FAMME, the recipient NGO, "we are simply delighted by this distinction.
It's the fruit of the hard work of an entire team. It's important to give a
warm welcome to people living with HIV, so that they can feel confident in
following the recommended treatments".
These
achievements were made possible thanks to the leadership of the PEPFAR national
steering committee, collaboration between the various stakeholders, and in
particular the remarkable work of the partner health centers under the
supervision of the #EAWA project.
The
national coordinator of SP/CNLS-IST and chairman of the PEPFAR project steering
committee, Pr Vincent Pitché, expressed his gratitude to all stakeholders and
praised the collaborative efforts of the Togolese and US governments in
implementing various development projects.
In
addition to PEPFAR's minimum policy requirements, the program is also working
to address structural issues related to improving prevention, effective
screening, enrolment and retention on treatment, strengthening the supply
chain, acquiring commodities for prevention, care and treatment, and
strengthening the data management and monitoring system, particularly in
laboratories responsible for measuring viral load.
Raymond DZAKPATA
