NACA works out new response to HIV/AIDS

MARANYANE NGWANAAMOTHO
Staff Writer | Wednesday June 16, 2010 00:00

The new approach is to develop a national operation plan that will move towards international standards, which is mainly based on a collective national response instead of having different entities working duplicating each other's work or working at cross purposes.

A strategic planning and policy development consultant at NACA, Peter Stegman, informed Mmegi yesterday that NACA has brought stakeholders into the fight against HIV/AIDS together to plan a national response plan that will create greater cooperation, collaboration and accountability among stakeholders.

 Stegman said NACA has assigned four technical planning groups to concentrate on four identified priority areas, which have the potential of greatly impacting the intervention measures taken by Botswana in the fight against the pandemic. 

'We have identified prevention of new infections, systems strengthening, strategic information management and scaling up treatment, care and support as areas that need specific attention.

'There are therefore four groups that will be engaged in the planning and management of these areas throughout until 2016,' Stegman pointed out. NACA held a two-day workshop that ends today to orientate the technical groups on planning and management of the respective areas that they have been allocated. 

'We need to know how to manage the development or implementation of the national plan until 2016, hence this workshop.  These groups will be engaged throughout to ensure that we achieve our goals. 

'If not so they will change what needs to be changed.  They will also go where necessary to ensure the success of the plan,' he announced.

Stegman said that the initiative has involved government sectors like the ministries of health, education, sports and culture, local government, transport and communication, and the developmental sector to act collectively.  

Again, involved in the move are international bodies like ACHAP, PEPFAR, ITECH and USAID. 'The government understands the benefits of a results-based management system and the need to act collectively, so this is a step in a good direction,' he said.