Ensuring Access to HIV Medications and Supplies in the Dominican Republic: Results from a CapacityPlus Workshop

Jul 10, 2013
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According to UNAIDS, an estimated 1.63 million people are living with HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean, where there is high treatment coverage and availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART). As donor support for securing HIV commodities in the region is declining, countries are planning for how they will continue to ensure access to ART and HIV supplies in the future. 

In January 2013, CapacityPlus facilitated a workshop to discuss HIV/AIDS commodities security in the region. Stakeholders from the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama created workplans to address HIV/AIDS commodities security in their countries, focusing on the themes relevant to their supply chains.

Arelis BatistaIn the latest edition of CapacityPlus Voices, Identifying Challenges, Prioritizing Solutions: Improving Access to Supplies for HIV/AIDS Services, Arelis Batista shares how her colleagues at the Ministry of Health in the Dominican Republic are addressing local challenges, including financing HIV commodities and professionalizing the supply chain workforce.

Batista explains that obstacles to professionalizing the supply chain workforce include high turnover, lack of job descriptions and performance evaluations, and the need for preservice training. To address this, her team carried out a situational analysis of the supply chain workforce. The results are now guiding them in setting priorities and taking actions, such as developing job descriptions for supply chain workers and offering preservice training in supply chain management as part of the standard set of courses at the National Institute of Public Administration.

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Photo by Amanda Puckett (Arelis Batista)