Since in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Fund through its Principal Recipient Programme of the Asia Regional Health Cluster (ARHC), UNOPS is working closely with the Ministry of Health and Sports and its Sub-Recipients (SRs) to support the mitigation and response efforts. As of today, Myanmar confirmed 234 positive cases with more than 5,064 suspected cases.

While continuing to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is very vital that the control efforts for other killer diseases such as HIV, TB and malaria are not neglected and stay on the agenda.

In the case of HIV/AIDS, UNOPS continues to maintain prevention, care and treatment services while undertaking COVID-19 infection control measures. Here are some of the ways that UNOPS, through its Sub-recipients, has been mobilizing activities so that the interventions are ensured not to be interrupted.

Dr. Thein Zaw Lwin, National HIV/AIDS Officer of PR-UNOPS said, “We all are working together to make sure that the required medicines and drugs are provided to the clients in the midst of COVID-19 and that there is no treatment disruption. We are working on this in close collaboration with the National AIDS Programme and our partners.”

HIV Prevention and Testing Activities

During this unprecedented period, movement restrictions related to physical distancing, quarantine, and lockdowns help reduce COVID-19 transmission but may have negative effects on HIV care. It leads to the limitations in outreach activities and a decrease in the number of clients accessing the Key Population Service Centres (KPSC) and hinders the HIV prevention and testing services.

UNOPS’s SRs are making every effort to overcome these challenges across the country. With the help of the trained People Living with HIV (PLHIV) within the same locality, where there are limited travel restrictions, one-to-one peer outreach activities are conducted to ascertain that prevention services are delivered to the people in need.

HIV testing services are also provided without disruption through Facility-based HIV testing service by staff with alternate assigned duties and during the regular follow up to the patients. The counselling services are provided with physical distancing such as through glass partition between the two parties or telecommunications. This has been piloted in some sites and planned to be expanded to other sites.

HIV Care and Treatment Activities

There have been challenges that PLHIV’s access to Antiretroviral treatment (ART) is disrupted due to travel restrictions in some States/Regions where people cannot cross townships to receive the treatment. In these cases, ARVs are delivered to the Township border so that clients can have easy access to it. In some specific cases, ARVs are allowed to be dispensed at the nearest ART Center/DC sites if there are restrictions to travel to the client’s regular routine site. Moreover, Multi-Month Dispensing of ARV is practicing to prevent disruption of ART in case of a full lockdown.

If the client has to stay in a facility or home quarantine, SRs make sure that these clients do not miss ART during these days while respecting the confidentiality and dignity of them by communicating via phone or online as appropriate.

SRs also ensure uninterrupted Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT) by practicing take-home methadone dosages. This reduces the frequency of visits to the MMT Center by the clients. Physical distancing among the clients and infection control measures are practiced in the facilities.