Antirectroviral Therapy Print

Antiretroviral therapy was introduced into the programme in 2005 with the support of AWARE/FHI.The Sierra Leone treatment action group comprising specia;list physicians and doctors was set up. Training for doctors and paramedical staff at the Komfo-Anokye  teaching hospital in Ghana was support by AWARE. In 2006 the national antiretroviral treatment guidelines were developed.

Antiretroviral drugs are procured from the Global fund resources and are provided to eligible clients free of cost. Close to seven thousand patients are currently receiving treatment all over the country. Because of the acute shortage of medical doctors, the programme adopted the task shifting approach in proving ART to clients. Paramedical staff as well as nurses have been trained to prescribe and administer ARVs to clients. There are one hundred and eleven (111) health facilities both private and public providing ART to patients.

Patients are monitored using CD4 as well as clinical presentations. An automated PCR equipment has been acquired from global fund resources to support early infant diagnosis and do viral load as well.