The Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH), has convened a three-day Human-Centred Design (HCD) workshop in Kabwe District, Central Province, to strengthen person-centred approaches to HIV care under the P-CORE Study.

Opening the workshop, P-CORE Study Principal Investigator Mr Kombatende Sikombe said the workshop will refine person-centred interventions that seek to minimise uncontrolled high viral loads by strengthening how health workers and the health system connect with, relate to, and consistently support clients.

“Using Human-Centred Design, participants will ground the work in lived experience, map current client and care journeys, and then co-create practical solutions that reflect the realities of facilities, communities, and households in Zambia,” Mr Sikombe said.

He encouraged participants to bring their experience, creativity, and honesty into every activity, from storytelling and journey mapping to brainstorming and prototype building, so that the final intervention reflects the voices of communities, front-line providers, and health system leaders alike.

Highlighting the value of the training for district-level implementation, Mr Ackson Mwiinga, District Laboratory Coordinator at Mumbwa District Health Office, said the workshop will enable the district to develop initiatives that address challenges affecting clients with high viral loads and those lost to follow-up, beyond the strategies currently in place.

“The district will benefit from this HCD training by coming up with unique initiatives that are different from existing strategies addressing lost-to-follow-up and high viral load patients on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART),” Mr Mwiinga said.

The workshop brought together health workers, facility staff, community representatives, and civil society stakeholders from Mumbwa, Kapiri Mposhi, and Kabwe districts to co-create interventions supporting clients living with high viral loads, those lost to follow-up, and those returning to care.