Afya Nyota ya Bonde program is impacting lives and transforming communities.
Nakuru County has been feted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for its key role in HIV/Aids pandemic management and response.
Nakuru County has won 7 top awards & the Best Overall in the HIV / Aids programme, in the USAID Afya Nyota ya Bonde project.
The program is implemented in 7 Counties. These counties include Nakuru, Kajiado, Narok, Turkana,Samburu, Baringo and Laikipia.
The other awards are;
- Most Improved, Best in Viral Suppression
- Best Reporting
- Assisted Partner Notification Services
- Targeted Testing Services and Positive Identification
These awards are a testament to the local government’s commitment in providing quality and affordable healthcare for all.
The Health Department is seeking more collaborations to complement investments in local health care systems.
CECM for Health Dr. Gichuki Kariuki on behalf of the county collected the trophies. The department is working to manage stigma and discrimination for patients with HIV/Aids and other Non- communicable diseases.
Chief Officer for Medical Services Dr Solomon Sirma acknowledges that the awards, serve as a motivation to the dedicated workforce in bettering services.
Hiv Clinical Services
The Afya program in Nakuru County is led by Dr Rachel Kiuna, who took over from Dr Eliud Agere.
The County Government of Nakuru in the 2019/20 financial year allocated 36 per cent, amounting to Ksh. 6.3 billion, of its total budget to healthcare financing.
Ksh. 1 Billion goes into infrastructure upgrades.The rest will go into buying medications and supplies, recruiting employees, training, and promotions.
With adult (15-49 years) HIV prevalence estimated at about 4.9% in 2017 and approximately 1.5 million people living with HIV, Kenya has made good progress in addressing the epidemic through focused interventions.
To respond to this, USAID Kenya and East Africa awarded three HIV clinical service projects in high HIV burden counties across Kenya: Afya Nyota ya Bonde, Afya Ziwani, and Afya Kamilisha.
The U.S. funds those programs like the Afya Nyota Ya Bonde . The President’s AIDS Relief Emergency Plan (PEPFAR) seeks to expand access to and awareness of infection response programs for HIV prevention, care and treatment.
Both programs capitalize on the work done by APHIAplus ( AIDS, Community, and HIV Integrated Assistance.
PEPFAR carries out these initiatives which play a crucial role in influencing the HIV response in Kenya.
Read More : Nakuru BBI Rally