The need to accelerate HIV/AIDS case findings, linking positives to treatment and maintaining a 100% retention on treatment with a suppressed viral load, is amongst some of the key  priorities for the Ministry of Health (MOH) and its collaborative partners.

The Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ), with support from the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has worked closely with MOH in implementing the Anti- Retroviral Therapy (ART) Saturation Surge Campaign, that was launched by the Government of the Republic of Zambia’s President His Excellency Edgar Chagwa Lungu in 2017.

The main aim of this campaign is to; increase on targeted case finding, increase on infrastructure structure and staffing, expand on differentiated service delivery, scale up viral load testing and other necessary patient laboratory monitoring and to maintain a stable drug supply chain.

As part of its capacity building program, CIDRZ in line with the MOH vision of delivering  quality health services as close to the family as possible, conducted a training in Consolidated ART Management in line with the 2020 guidelines for 20  health care works from all the 27 Health Post  in  Lusaka District. Those trained were mainly Clinical Officers, General, Midwives and Registered Nurses.

The three day training is aimed at improving  the quality of ART services being offered at Health posts, accelerate case finding and linkage to treatment by promoting the attainment of new zero HIV infections in Zambia by the year 2030, enhance retention and adherence to restore health and improve the quality of life and enable proper accountability for self transformative behaviour by securing an HIV free Zambia.