GF Grant: Implementation today

September 27, 2022

The progress of the implementation of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GF) grant was discussed on September 27 by the country team with the GF grant implementation group, which was presented by Olga Grader, TB Portfolio Manager for Kazakhstan and Bodri Marion, procurement specialist.

The meeting was opened by Irina Petrenko, Deputy Director of the CDC, who spoke about the epidemiological situation of HIV in the Republic of Kazakhstan and the main directions of the service's work in achieving the goals of UNAIDS 95-95-95.

- " The HIV epidemic in Kazakhstan is at a concentrated stage. In the 15-49 age group, the prevalence of HIV is 0.3, with a forecast of 0.38. Today, 84 percent of people living with HIV know their status, 81 percent of them are on ARV therapy, 86 percent have a decrease in viral load," the speaker said.

KNCDIZ specialists are involved in the development of a Roadmap for 2023-24 to improve the resilience of HIV programs and the prevention of perinatal transmission of HIV infection, and are also preparing amendments and additions to the Code on the Health of the People and the Healthcare System.

Tatiana Davletgalieva, Manager of the project implementation group, acquainted the participants with the implementation of the activities of the tasks of the GF grant. The Speaker noted that 13 NGOs are working to strengthen and expand comprehensive and effective programs in the Republic of Kazakhstan, 10 of them are for HIV prevention among key population groups and three NGOs for the care and support of people living with HIV. During the implementation of the grant, more than 11 thousand people have been covered by preventive programs by four NGOs working with LUIN alone, more than 9 thousand have been tested on the basis of NGOs, 89 new cases have been identified.

According to the implementation of the program of maintenance therapy with opioid agonists (PTAO), the staff of the GF country implementation group informed that today 16 offices have been opened in 11 regions of the country. There are 285 patients on PTAO. The participants discussed problematic issues, among them the introduction of a database of individual accounting of clients and the provision of migrants with HIV ART and others.

Summing up the meeting, Olga Greider noted that the GF highly appreciated the implementation of the grant in Kazakhstan (HIV component) for 2021 and expressed confidence that in the future the results will also be positive and really be a "catalyst" for national programs.

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