African Comprehensive HIV and AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP)

Through ACHAP, Merck has supported healthcare worker training, encompassing both theoretical and clinical training.

KITSO Program: ACHAP has partnered with the Harvard AIDS Institute and the Ministry of Health to develop curriculum that includes eight core modules on HIV/AIDS clinical care fundamentals. To date, the program—known as KITSO knowledge—has provided classroom training to more than 7,000 of Botswana's healthcare workers.

Clinical Preceptorship Program: In the clinical preceptorship program, HIV specialist doctors from the United States and Europe came to Botswana for a period of at least three months to provide hands-on, clinic-based training to local medical staff. Between 2002 and 2006, more than 3,200 physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals had received hands-on, clinic-based training through this program. The preceptorship program has now been incorporated into the ongoing national clinical training program managed by the Government of Botswana.

Laboratory technicians: ACHAP supported the recruitment and training of 12 laboratory technicians on medical equipment for CD4 cell count and viral load testing. The technicians were then dispatched to clinical laboratories throughout the country. Additional laboratory equipment is being purchased for district hospitals and training of additional laboratory staff is being undertaken to support efforts of decentralizing this work.

Government training: During the first two years of the partnership, ACHAP helped to train nearly 250 civil servants from the Ministry of Health and the Department of Health Services of Local Government in project management. ACHAP also supported training of staff at the National Blood Bank in donor screening, counseling, good laboratory practices and quality control. ACHAP was also responsible for funding and filling the positions of hospital manager at the reference hospitals in Gaborone and Francistown. Learn more.

West Africa HIV and AIDS Degree Program

Merck has provided financial and organizational support for the HIV/AIDS University Degree for French-speaking countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Launched in 2004, the degree program is organized by the University of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in collaboration with the University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI), France, and the Societe Francaise de Lutte contree le SIDA (French AIDS Society). The program aims to improve the medical management of HIV-infected people in West Africa through an intensive, multidisciplinary four-week training course for healthcare professionals. Each year, more than 100 physicians, pharmacists and nurses complete the course and receive academic certificates. Most participants become trainers in their home countries. The financial support from Merck and other partners allows the students to be totally supported financially (i.e., covers trip, tuition and full board accommodation).

St. Stephens AIDS Trust

Merck has supported St. Stephens AIDS Trust's (SSAT) physician training workshops in Asia and Africa. The objective is to support healthcare workers in resource-limited environments through workshops teaching how to appropriately use new agents to improve anti-retroviral options, focusing on second-line and third-line agents where viral load testing and resistance testing may or may not be available. SSAT conducted workshops in China and Vietnam in 2010, and in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana, South Africa and Zambia in 2011.

Voluntary Services Overseas – Regional AIDS Initiative of Southern Africa (VSO RAISA)

Since 2008, Merck has supported Voluntary Services Overseas—Regional AIDS Initiative of Southern Africa's (VSO RAISA) efforts to advocate on behalf of caregivers who play a critical role in providing support and care for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). VSO-RAISA's "Clean Glove" campaign in 2008 sought to increase caregivers' access to gloves and other hygienic supplies to effectively conduct home-based care. From 2009 onwards VSO-RAISA's caregivers advocacy campaign, has brought together stakeholders from South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia to identify and disseminate home-based care practices that reduce the burden of HIV/AIDS care on women and girls; to influence policy and ensure positive change; and to influence the development of new policies or amendments to existing policies that reduce the burden of care.

Vivo Positivo and Accion Solidaria

In Chile and Venezuela, Merck has supported AIDS Services organizations Vivo Positivo and Accion Solidaria to train HIV counselors that would help PLWHA better manage care, promote adherence and improve quality of life.