Hope for the future means sustainable structures are in place to continue caring for patients. At each site CIDRZ supports, we work with public health managers to identify and redress pressing infrastructure gaps - building appropriate pharmacy areas and clinic labs, outfitting clinic examination rooms, renovating clinics to provide private counseling space, even building new clinics. CIDRZ worked with Lusaka’s University Teaching Hospital, the main referral hospital for Zambia, to design and construct a new Adult Infectious Disease Center providing integrated care to HIV patients. Overall, CIDRZ has invested more than $2.5 million in public health infrastructure.
The new CIDRZ central campus will offer a central location for pharmacy, laboratory, clinical, peer training and IT services. This campus not only offers synergy for the various aspects of CIDRZ work, but will create a regional training center for health workers from various African countries, as well as training to doctors from the US, European, and other developed countries in infectious diseases.
As part of the “Zambia First” campaign, the central campus exemplifies the philosophy of CIDRZ and highlights the experience the organization has gained through research and treatment, offering both practical knowledge and models for other countries to use in building their own public health infrastructures.
For more information, www.ZambiaFirst.org.