Tender for provision of technical assistance to the clinical component implementers in planning, implementation and monitoring of treatment programmes
Under the project "Overcoming HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ukraine" supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria through the International HIV/AIDS Alliance (UK)
About the Alliance
International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine is an international charitable foundation specialising in supporting communities and community action to play valuable and effective role in the global response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
The foundation sees its main priority in supporting civic initiatives aimed at reducing HIV morbidity in the most vulnerable to the infection groups of population, development of the societal support to HIV positive people and those close to them, reducing stigma and improving services for HIV+ people and populations vulnerable to HIV, identifying and sharing best practices of the most effective community responses to the epidemic.
Background information
There is ample worldwide evidence that the spread of HIV/AIDS causes reduction of a life expectancy, increase in the volume of consumed medical care, aggravation of the problems of poverty, social inequality, and orphanhood.
Estimated HIV prevalence among the adult population in Ukraine is one of the highest in European region (c. 1%), which along with the highest rate of the epidemic progression in the region creates a significant danger to the development of Ukraine. Therefore, one of the main objectives of the Government of Ukraine and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and malaria that supports the National Programme to Ensure HIV Prevention, Support and Treatment for People Living with HIV/AIDS for 2004-2008 is to overcome and control the spread of HIV/AIDS in Ukraine through ensuring sustainable, quality, comprehensive medical and social care, support and treatment for people with HIV/AIDS free of charge and in full.
In April 2004 the Ministry of Health approved a plan of scaling-up treatment for people with HIV/AIDS based on the national clinical antiretroviral treatment (ART) protocol.
Currently the overall number of registered HIV cases that require clinical monitoring and constitute a target population for the treatment programmes amount to 45 000 people while the number of patients on ART in the country amounts to just over 100.
According to the treatment scale-up plan it is expected to put 2,000 new patients on treatment by October 2004 and 4,000 patients by April 2005. Such rapid treatment scale up will impose an utmost load on the Ukrainian healthcare system.
Comprehensive AIDS healthcare requires a multidisciplinary approach and involvement of many players, which is a novel concept to be introduced in the country. A new effective model of healthcare delivery needs to be developed and put into practice in order to meet the overall objective of the project and halt the epidemic. In order to do so, implementers of the clinical component, namely the Ukrainian AIDS Centre and its partners in the regions, will require extensive technical assistance from experts and agencies that possess expertise in this area.
Objective
To ensure sustainable and effective functioning of treatment programmes through introduction of the world's best practices of treatment in resource constrained conditions, setting up appropriate case management and treatment monitoring systems in collaboration with MoH, government treatment facilities and NGOs.
Activities
- To develop and introduce a replicable case management model compatible with existing healthcare delivery format.
- To introduce and adapt a unified data management system allowing proper clinical monitoring of HIV patients compatible with the national epidemiological surveillance database.
- To help establish a system/procedures to monitor quality of treatment.
The required Technical Assistance (TA) package may include other activities based on the needs of the TA recipients.
Selection criteria to be applied to potential TA providers:
- Extensive experience in treatment implementation (including treatment in resource constrained settings).
- Experience in TA provision, building partnerships and organization of treatment in other countries.
- Available comprehensive training programme, which can be adapted to Ukrainian context.
- Functional comprehensive disease management and adaptable data management systems to serve as a basis for the required Ukrainian model.
- Will to contribute to the programme implementation.
Applicants are allowed to enter into consortia with other organisations in order to satisfy the above criteria.
The proposals should demonstrate due attention to ensuring sustainability of technical assistance provision to Ukrainian healthcare professionals working on AIDS and clear vision for the development and use of local technical assistance capacities.
Responsiveness to the national needs and understanding of respective roles of various sectors (including non-governmental and community based organisations) in the provision of care for HIV positive people should be one of the key principles of the proposed approach.
In the course of the proposal preparation applicants are expected:
- To demonstrate understanding of how Ukrainian healthcare system functions and gain reasonable level of awareness of the TA needs to be met.
- To estimate available resources (material, human, methodical, etc.) and necessary contribution from all parties involved.
- To submit a letter of intent describing the applying agency or consortium, its capacities, experience, and a scope of the proposed activities by 10th of May 2004.
Letters of intent should be submitted to:
Dr Mandeep Dhaliwal
Queensberry House
104-106 Queens Road
Brighton
BN1 3XF
United Kingdom
MDhaliwal@aidsalliance.org
Successful candidates will be asked to develop a detailed proposal upon consideration.
Note that the National clinical ART protocol provides for the multidisciplinary approach to the treatment provision. This means that patients will be managed by teams of professionals consisting of a physician, a nurse, and a case manager aided by additional staff such as social workers, lay counsellors that ensure treatment adherence support and psychological support.
By rough estimates, each team will serve up to 100 patients and each treatment facility will have no less than 2 such care teams to ensure uninterrupted quality care for patients on ARV. Number of additional social workers and counsellors will vary depending on the needs of specific treatment sites.
For the first phase of the treatment scale-up the 2 000 patients will be selected and treated at 7 priority sites in 6 regions of Ukraine with intention to expand treatment programmes to the rest of the country in the future. The priority treatment sites are: Kiev City AIDS Center, clinic of the National Institute of epidemiology and infectious diseases (known as Lavra Clinic, Kiev), AIDS centres in Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Odessa, Nickolayev regions and AR Crimea.
Project implementation period: 10 months.
Budget of the TA project must be reasonable. In-kind, HR and other kinds of gratuitous contributions are welcomed and is a plus.
Tender for clinical training
International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine announces a tender for carrying out comprehensive training programme for HIV/AIDS healthcare professionals
Under the project "Overcoming HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ukraine" supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria through the International HIV/AIDS Alliance (UK)
The goal of this assignment is to strengthen the capacity of AIDS healthcare system in Ukraine through a comprehensive unified professional training programme.
Objectives
- To develop and conduct a unified specialised training programme tailored for the needs of Ukrainian AIDS treatment facilities.
- To integrate the training programme into continuum of existing and planned HIV/AIDS care, medical and social education.
- To establish appropriate training quality assurance and certification procedures.
Activities
Jointly with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and with support from the World Health Organization, based on the National Treatment Plan and national clinical ART protocols to develop and conduct series of quality trainings on:
- HAART for adults and adolescents including ART in resource constrained settings;
- PMTCT and ART for women;
- HIV infection in children and paediatric ART;
- OI prophylaxis and management;
- HIV and TB co-infection;
- Laboratory HIV and treatment monitoring;
- Palliative care;
- Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP);
- Organisation of treatment, multidisciplinary approach to AIDS healthcare provision, treatment adherence support;
- Provision of ART and care to IDUs.
To set up a continuous professional preceptorship and ongoing consultative support programmes for relevant professionals; **to set up professional information exchange system and create a repository of relevant information resources.
Selection criteria to be applied to potential training providers:
- Extensive experience in public health and education, preferably in Ukraine and/or the region.
- Experience in HIV/AIDS.
- Extensive partnership liaisons with various relevant agencies (national and international, governmental and non-governmental) and academic sector.
- Sufficient capacity and available infrastructure that allows carrying out a comprehensive professional training.
- Ability and right to certify trained specialists.
Applicants are allowed to enter in consortia with other organisations in order to satisfy the above criteria. The proposals should demonstrate due attention to ensuring sustainability of proper training provision to Ukrainian healthcare professionals working on AIDS and clear vision for the development and use of local educational capacities. Responsiveness to the national needs and understanding of respective roles of various sectors (including non-governmental and community based organisations) in the provision of care for HIV positive people should be one of the key principles of proposed approach.
In the course of the proposal preparation applicants are expected:
- To gain reasonable level of awareness of training needs to be met.
- To estimate available resources (material, human, methodical, etc.) and necessary contribution from all parties involved.
- To submit a letter of intent describing the applying agency or consortium, its capacities, experience, and scope of the proposed activities by 10th of May 2004.
Letters of intent should be submitted to:
Dr Mandeep Dhaliwal
Queensberry House
104-106 Queens Road
Brighton
BN1 3XF
United Kingdom
MDhaliwal@aidsalliance.org
Successful candidates will be asked to develop a detailed proposal.
Budget of the TA project must be reasonable and can include only expenses directly related to the project activities and those that contribute to reaching objectives of the project.