Support to Combat STIs and HIV/AIDS (PALIH) - Phase II

Results achieved as of the end of the project (January 2012) include: seven municipal health unit offices are operational and working to strengthen the availability of quality health services for approximately 1.5 million people. More than 330 people from the Health Ministry and from civil society improved their skills in health system management. The health information collection and epidemiologic surveillance system is now operational and more efficient. This was demonstrated at the onset of the cholera epidemic when the system made it possible to sound the alarm quickly and monitor the progress of the epidemic in the Artibonite region. With the project’s support 87% of health institutions now offer sexually transmitted infections prevention testing and treatment services that respect Health Ministry norms (compared to an estimated 48% in 2006). While an estimated 623 700 people in Artibonite had access to these types of services in at the beginning of the project in 2006 at the beginning of the project inby 2012 more than 1 445 000 people have access to health centres that offer these services. With regard to prevention testing and treatment of HIV/AIDS 24 health institutions now offer adapted HIV/AIDS services for the most vulnerable population including sex workers and their clients young people abused women and people living with HIV. The project’s target populations are increasingly using these services with more than 15 000 people having benefited from them to date. The studies carried out at the end of the project have shown positive results in terms of changing sexual behaviours within the project’s target populations. These results have contributed to improving how health services are provided and managed in in Artibonite particularly for sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS.