URC Provider-Initiated Counselling and Testing (PICT) (Archived)

STATUS: Completed (January 2006 - March 2011)
FUNDER/S: University Research Council (URC) / Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
PARTNER/S: Provincial Departments of Health, University Research Corporation (URC), Health Systems Trust
AREA: South Africa: three provinces (Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga)
DESCRIPTION: This project aimed to reduce missed opportunities for HIV identification and the spread of HIV infection, and to support a network of service outlets providing routine voluntary HIV testing and counselling. The project focused on facility-based nurses, HIV and AIDS Counselling and Testing (HCT) Programme Managers and Lay Counsellors. The focus later moved beyond client-initiated, voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) to provider-initiated counselling and testing (PICT).
OBJECTIVES:

The main goal of the project is to build a network of health service outlets of routine HIV counselling and testing service in all provinces.

  • Increase the number of public health facilities offering HCT services
  • Increase the skills  and competencies of health care workers in HCT
  • Increase the number of HIV-positive persons referred for further care, treatment and support by HCT service providers
  • Improve the quality of HCT services provided to patients
  • Improve the capacity and skills of facility and district staff to collect, analyze and use data for monitoring and evaluation, in order to improve planning and allocation of resources for VCT and HIV care and treatment services, based on timely and accurate information
PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS:
  Nonceba Languza (Eastern Cape provincial coordinator)
Tshitshi Ngubo (KwaZulu-Natal provincial coordinator)
Thembekile Lushaba (Mpumalanga provincial coordinator)

For further information contact Nonceba Languza, at nonceba@hst.org.za