Safeguarding HIV prevention and care services amidst military conflict: experiences from Ukraine

Ukraine stands out among European countries concerning HIV epidemiological data. Since February 2022, the military conflict with Russian forces has posed unprecedented challenges to HIV prevention and care. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), a global non-profit organisation with operations in Ukraine...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Adele Schwartz Benzaken, Yaroslava Lopatina, Anna Maria Żakowicz, Zoya Shabarova, Terri Ford, Fernanda F Fonseca, Wilfred Odoke, Jan van den Hombergh, Vivian I Avelino-Silva, Ralph C Miles
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2023-12-01
Series:BMJ Global Health
Online Access:https://gh.bmj.com/content/8/12/e014299.full
Description
Summary:Ukraine stands out among European countries concerning HIV epidemiological data. Since February 2022, the military conflict with Russian forces has posed unprecedented challenges to HIV prevention and care. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), a global non-profit organisation with operations in Ukraine since 2009, implemented a preparedness plan to protect staff members and support local facilities in the continuity of care throughout the war. In this manuscript, we describe the strategies adopted by AHF to anticipate the risk of military conflict, steps to implement a preparedness plan, main challenges faced by local staff members and managers, adaptations needed as the conflict evolved, and indicators of HIV care 1 year before and 1 year after the onset of the conflict. Our experience shows that safeguarding the organisation’s human resources has been a prerequisite to sustain services throughout the war.
ISSN:2059-7908