USAID Supports First Course on Health Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS

Nineteen doctors, from eight regional hospitals and health facilities, received their diplomas for completing the first course to be offered to health professionals on caring for people living with HIV/AIDS.  The “Integral Health Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS” course was developed with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in alliance with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), the Nicaraguan Association of Infectious Diseases, Nicaragua’s Ministry of Health and the Nicaraguan Autonomous University in Managua.

The course was designed to address the results of national studies that showed a lack of knowledge of HIV/AIDS by public health personnel, which has a repercussion on the quality of health care offered to those who need the services.

Connie Johnson, Chief of USAID’s Human Investment Office, and Dr. Adrian Zelaya, Secretary General of Nicaragua’s Ministry of Health, participated in the graduation ceremony on Jan. 19.

The doctors will offer counseling and education on HIV/AIDS, organize and carry out investigations on HIV/AIDS, provide medical assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS, and will be active members of a multi-disciplinary team for integral health care of people living with HIV/AIDS.

The U.S government, through USAID, has been one of the main donors in Nicaragua working on HIV/AIDS prevention. USAID provides $1 million a year for programs nationwide that include social marketing of condoms along with an education strategy for behavior change and messages of fidelity and abstinence; increased diagnostic testing and therapy; and a public awareness campaign against discrimination towards people living with HIV/AIDS.