It is just one year left to reach ambitious 2020 targets. The ending year results Alliance for Public Health (APH) is happy to share, made Ukraine and other EECA countries closer to the success, with the scale, innovations, transitioning and sharing effective solutions.

There are 8 highlights from APH perspective (download statement in .pdf):

  1. Nation-wide HIV prevention efforts focusing on Key Populations has brought the epidemic under control. During 2019 APH with its partners was providing HIV prevention and testing services to over 170 000 PWID, 38 000 SWs, 42 000 MSM, thus reaching the highest coverage figured in the entire Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Besides the standard package, 2019 was marked with

  2. Reaching those left behind with effective and innovative interventions.
    • Bringing PeEP: APH-led successful Kyiv pilot scaled up to 22 oblasts with 15 times PrEP coverage increase (from 100 to 1500) just over current year;
    • Self-testing: APH reached out to partners of key populations with HIV oral and blood self-testing; online selftest.org.ua confidentially delivered self-tests to rural and remote areas;
    • Artificial intelligence and Machine learning algorithm worked in APH-led extended risk network testing in community-based outreach to optimize HIV case-finding among key populations in Ukraine, including focus on recent infections;
    • Experimenting with sex and drugs youth: innovatively reached out to users of recreational drugs at night clubs and electronic music festivals, online Free2Ask App and Drugstoreresources;
    • Transgender people are at the highest risk of HIV. During the year over 1000 trans people in Ukraine reached with essential services, promoting rights of trans people at Kyiv Pride in June 2019;
    • Achieving the 2nd 90 – 90% on ARV – in the group of HIV+ clients of Opioid Agonist Treatment run with APH support.
  1. Transitioning the largest KP program in EECA to the governmental funding

At the end of 2019 the largest harm reduction program funded by the Global Fund was transferred to the government funding. APH transitioned its approach to services for key populations which now became the standards approved by the Ministry of Health. The transition is a great result of the joint work with Public Health Center, 100% Life and all implementing NGOs across the country. APH will continue assisting with program oversight, monitoring and technical support and support additional interventions to ensure consistently high quality and maintain coverage.

The successful experience of Ukraine has been used in EECA region. APH-led consortium started 2019-2021 regional GF #SoS_project. This project will ensure sustainability of HIV-services for key populations in 14 countries in EECA region and by 2021 national funding for HIV/AIDS programs will be increased by $10 million from national, regional and municipal budgets and $73.4 millionsavings ensured in the country’s budgets through optimized ARV procurement.

  1. WOW results in TB response

APH adopted Optimized Case Finding methodology for finding missed TB cases. 12 months results show 4.4. times increase in TB detection rate per 1000 contacts in comparison with routine contact tracing. There is a 20% increase of those offered diagnostics in the early detection project (22 536 clients over year). On the treatment side, due to medial and psycho-social support APH managed to increase successful treatment outcomes to 91% and 89% for susceptible and DR-TB patients respectively.

  1. Hepatitis C: getting the best treatment and serving the most in-need patients

Over 2500 patients (PLWH, PWID, prisoners) got through APH comprehensive package of services – starting from HCV diagnostics, followed by treatment, social support, preventive and educational activities and treatment results evaluation. In 2019 Alliance obtained lowest ever in Ukraine price for direct antiviral drugs for HCV  12 weeks treatment  course (US$74.9) and launched HCV diagnostic with GeneXpert in laboratories of health care facilities  in such a way developing  national health system.

  1. Promoting Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda

APH is the only Ukrainian organization in the global UHC Civil society Mechanism. In this capacity APH organized a series of consultation prior to the UN High Level Meeting on UHC in September 2019, and is following up with developing multi-stakeholders’ accountability mechanisms. During the year APH expanded its work to supporting vaccination, launching mental health program in 12 regions of Ukraine in partnership with

Ukrainian Institute on Public Health Policy, Yale School of Medicine and U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

  1. Leadership of cities in HIV and TB response

APH firmly believes that leadership of cities in HIV/TB response can stop the epidemics. APH completed 3-year regional project “Fast-track TB/HIV responses for key populations in 5 EECA cities” which has significantly improved HIV/TB responses in cities and ensured sustainability achieving a full return of the Global Fund investment of 3.9 Million USD – from cities budget (video). In the new regional project #SoS_project 25 more cities are joining the fast-track initiatives and will sustain response by increasing municipal funding allocations. Just during 2019 political support was provided by mayors of Chisinau (Moldova), Osh (Kyrgyzstan), Svetlogorsk (Belarus) who signed Paris Declaration and ZERO TB Initiative, and Podgorica, Bar, Bijelo Polje (Montenegro) who signed Paris Declaration.

Watch the video: Andriy Klepikov presentation in major event of the year, defining future HIV and TB response in the EECA region.

 

  1. #InYourPower campaign launched

APH with partners launched the information campaign “It’s #InYourPower to end AIDS” – https://inyourpower.life.

“Time is what really matters when it comes to tackling HIV. Therefore, we are looking for leaders. Leaders who can make a difference in their countries. Not the day after tomorrow, not tomorrow, but today”, says Andriy Klepikov, APH Executive Director.

14 awards were provided celebrating distinguished leadership in 2019.

ALLIANCE FOR PUBLIC HEALTH CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABILITY OF SERVICES FOR KEY POPULATIONS IN EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA THROUGH ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GLOBAL FUND, PEPFAR, OTHER DONORS