Integration is essential for sustaining progress in the HIV response, ensuring high-quality, accessible services while building towards long-term health system sustainability. The webinar Smart Integration: Advancing Person-Centered Care in the HIV Response brought together a panel of global health experts to discuss actionable strategies for integrated care, including Dr Njeri Kamere, Aurum's Managing Director of Health Systems.
The discussion was expertly moderated by Dr Muka Chikuba-McLeod, President and CEO of JSI, who framed the conversation around maintaining accessibility and quality in integrated HIV services. .
Dr Kamere provided insights into integrating person-centred care within healthcare systems. She highlighted the disparities among facilities, with some excelling in patient-centred service delivery while others lag behind.
She emphasised the need for health systems to meet patients at their points of need, adopting client-friendly approaches like differentiated service delivery models and integrating chronic disease care with HIV services. Using South Africa’s Ideal Clinic Model as an example, she explained how strengthening infrastructure, staffing, and supply chain systems ensures seamless service delivery.
Dr Kamere also advocated for using tools such as patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and community-led monitoring to measure quality and retention. “Patient retention is the ultimate goal,” she stated, underscoring the importance of keeping patients in care as they age, ensuring long-term health outcomes.
"Patients must be met at their point of need. To do this, health facilities and workers must adopt a truly patient-centred approach-ensuring quality, integration, and responsiveness." – Dr. Njeri Kamere #TakeTheRightsPath pic.twitter.com/1n8X62EaMS
— The Aurum Institute (@Auruminstitute) November 19, 2024
The webinar also featured prominent voices from the field of integrated HIV programming:
- Beatrice Ajonye, National Project Coordinator, Community-Led Monitoring, The International Community of Women living with HIV/AIDS (ICW)
- Dr Deborah Goldstein, Medical Officer, Office of HIV/AIDS, US Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Rose Nyirenda, Director of HIV, STIs, Hepatitis, Ministry of Health, Malawi
- Dr Yogan Pillay, Director of HIV & TB Delivery, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Aurum remains at the forefront of promoting integrated, person-centred care models that align with the diverse health needs of individuals and communities. Dr Kamere’s contributions reflect Aurum’s vision to bridge service gaps and ensure long-term sustainability in the HIV response.
As the conversation around integration evolves, the insights from this webinar reinforce the need for global health systems to adopt innovative, inclusive approaches that place the patient at the centre of care. Together, we can safeguard progress while building stronger, more resilient healthcare systems.
