Regional meeting on the Optima HIV model

September 22, 2022

A team of specialists from KNCDIZ participated in a regional meeting on Optima HIV on September 19-22.

The event is organized in Istanbul for the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Among the participants are representatives from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and other countries.

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in partnership with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the Burnet Institute (Canada) are providing technical support to the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia in conducting the third round of a study on the effectiveness of resource allocation in the field of HIV prevention (Optima HIV study). 

Since the first round of the Optima study in 2014-2015 and the second round in 2019-2020, serious positive changes have taken place in countries: new protocols for testing and treatment of HIV infection have been adopted, epidemiological data on HIV have been improved and updated, prices for ART treatment have been reduced, there has been a transition to more effective forms of providing services that save money, etc. Updating the country results and forecasts in the study based on new data will be a significant contribution to the revision of strategic investment and planning directions for halting the spread of HIV infection in the EECA countries.

The Optima platform was developed to support countries in the strategic decision-making process. Optima is a tool that helps decision makers, program managers and donors achieve maximum success with the funding available in the country for public health response and program sustainability planning. The platform combines various elements of international best practices in the field of epidemic modeling, economic analysis, as well as the "science" of decision-making and their implementation. The Optima HIV model has been widely used to inform policy makers when optimizing investments in HIV control.

Currently, Optima modeling is used to determine priorities in planning the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis, malaria, viral hepatitis, HIV infection, etc. Optima uses a mathematical optimization algorithm to evaluate priorities for various disease models and related health responses

 and the allocation of resources to achieve maximum results in terms of health, quality of life and longevity.

Recall that today in Kazakhstan, HIV infection is kept at a concentrated stage.

Since 2006, after joining the group of countries with an above-average income, Kazakhstan's ability to receive international financial assistance has significantly decreased. Fulfilling its global obligations, our country provides State funding for AIDS programs, while the share of international funding is decreasing every year.

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