Dr Arun Menon Clinical Advisor, ASHM

1. Dr Arun Menon Clinical Advisor, ASHM

2. Aims of the Workshop • To showcase an experience of public, private and faith-based partnerships and the key aspects of these partnerships that contribute to successes in those programs; including responsiveness to national HIV plans, goal sharing, flexibility, longevity, commitment, innovation and cost sharing • To highlight the success of Papua New Guinea in bringing together diverse stakeholders to ensure an effective HIV response • To develop an understanding of how relationships between these organizations are being sustained over time • To share the experience of ASHM’s Clinical and Laboratory Mentoring Program in providing HIV health care capacity building with the Catholic HIV and AIDS Services in PNG and the PNG Sexual Health Society

3. How we connect PNG NDOH Igat Hope CHASI PNGSHS NAPWHA CHPNG ASHM Caritas Aust.

4. ASHM - Background • ASHM PNG programs aim to support: • Goals and implementation of the PNG National Strategic Plans in relation to HIV and STI • Health care workers in PNG to provide quality HIV and STI testing, treatment and care • CHASI to deliver appropriate care in support of the national plan • The PNG Sexual Health Society as the lead organisation representing and supporting people working in HIV, STI and sexual health

5. Projects and Partners • Three major projects in PNG: • CHPNG ASHM Clinical and Laboratory Mentoring Program • Funded by CHPNG • Highlands Sexual Health Support Project • Funded by Caritas Australia • Support to the PNG Sexual Health Society • Currently supported by Gilead Sciences, Previous support by the ASHM Board.

6. Successes in our work • Supporting access and continued treatment of over 3000 PLHIV in 8 provinces . • Training over 300 HCW in HIV and STI • Some clinics have ‘ zero cases to date’ record of parent to child transmission when the HIV status of the mother was known through ANC. • Establishment of 5 rural laboratories and support for another 2. • Extending the clinical mentoring and training model to other Pacific countries incl. Fiji, Marshal Islands, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu • Continuous development of new programs with all partners and stakeholders.

7. Key features of Partnerships • Sustained support and relationships between funders, partners, stakeholders – some partnerships span over 10years. • Commitment and dedication of individuals in the program (i.e. mentors, program staff, key partner personnel) • Continual learning and evaluation and through this, the ability and willingness of partners to be innovative and responsive to challenges and program changes • Flexibility by all partners to adapt to needs and challenges on the ground and across the program and an understanding of the context in which partners work. • Programs cost sharingto maximise potentials & opportunities to benefit communities, HCW and the services they are located in and the PNG national HIV strategy objectives

8. Challenges Challenges working in PNG: • Infrastructure - transport and logistics, access to broader health services • Supply managementof HIV and medical supplies • Turn over of staff can be very common and disruptive • Adapting to new WHO treatment guidelines & PNG DoH strategies to integrate these into programs • Collection of data – difficulties with collection and reporting by HCW to NDOH and project wise being able to collect data that shows the impacts being made by these projects

9. Challenges Challenges about working in partnerships • differences in funding timelines • differences in reporting requirements • assigning success and failure to specific funders • Being external – outside of PNG – difficult to have regular meetings, engage in forums