In order to mitigate the impact of the lockdown on HIV services, the Centre for HIV/AIDS and STI under the Ministry of Health requested UNAIDS to support the development of a concept note to establish a mechanism of home delivery to provide HIV treatment to people living with HIV who are not able to go to the healthcare facilities due to restriction in movements imposed by the government.
UNAIDS worked with two civil society organizations—Lao Positive Health Association and the Association for People Living with HIV (APL+)—to find a workable approach for the provision of ARV drugs.
As a result, the two civil society organizations are now working, under the umbrella of the Ministry of Health, with 11 health facilities throughout the country to ensure 839 people living with HIV receive their treatment at home or at a specified location of their convenience.
Community members together with healthcare staff at health facilities reviewed the list of people living with HIV who had appointments with doctors scheduled for April 2020—the lockdown period established by the government. The list helped identify the areas, treatment and budget needed for the home delivery initiative. Community members would then get an authorization letter to travel around their province ensuring treatment continuity.
