Through three new five-year awards from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through PEPFAR, ICAP will continue its partnership with Swaziland’s Ministry of Health (MOH), providing technical assistance (TA) and capacity building support to expand HIV and tuberculosis (TB) prevention, care and treatment, strengthen health systems and research capacity for programmatic impact, and support a sustainable, government-led response.

ICAP has been a PEPFAR implementing partner in Swaziland since 2005, working hand-in-hand with the MOH.

Through the first award, ICAP is supporting a new phase of service expansion in Swaziland, led by the MOH. This will entail provision of technical assistance to: enhance capacity and service delivery at the national level for all TB, MDR-TB and HIV/TB activities; strengthen stewardship and capacity of the Regional Health Management Team in Manzini Region for quality management of TB/HIV service delivery; and improve coverage and quality of adult and pediatric HIV testing, prevention, care and treatment in health facilities and community settings. The approach will emphasize systems development, training and mentoring for health care workers, and integrating systematic, continuous quality improvement.

Through another award, ICAP is partnering with the MOH to build Swaziland’s capacity in epidemiology and research and strengthen the monitoring and use of data. Ultimately, the goal is to enable the effective use of health information and disease surveillance to inform policy and programming for a coordinated national health agenda.

Enhancing laboratory capacity is a critical element of a strong health system. Through an additional award, ICAP will support education and training in lab capacity to achieve lab accreditation, improve access to testing, strengthen equipment and supply chain management, and improve laboratory information systems with the goal of enhancing quality of care and program impact.

“This support will enable the deepening of our successful partnership with the Ministry of Health,” said Dr. Ruben Sahabo, ICAP country director in Swaziland. “We are privileged to work in Swaziland, a country that has achieved so much to date in confronting the HIV epidemic.”