Siemens, US Commit $15m To HIV/AIDS Fight In Sub-Saharan Africa

 Niyi Aderibigbe Pharma & Healthcare

inShare1

VENTURES AFRICA – In a bid to strengthen the fight against HIV/AIDS and other diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, Siemens Healthcare, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has committed $15 million to building laboratory infrastructure and human resources.
The five-year commitment to action called “Stronger Together,” was announced on Monday at the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting, having recognised the significance of well-resourced laboratories to effective disease response and control.
“Laboratory services are essential to the entire health care system and quality laboratory systems are a key underpinning of PEPFAR’s HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment efforts,” said Ambassador Deborah L. Birx, M.D., U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.
“This public-private partnership will
build on PEPFAR’s existing training delivery approaches by using online learning tools to train thousands of qualified professionals working tirelessly to diagnose disease outbreaks and other diseases occurring in the population, so they can be treated effectively,” she added.
The partnership with Siemens will advance PEPFAR’s ongoing effort to build laboratory capacity in countries with a high disease burden, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia – countries where both PEPFAR and CDC, a PEPFAR implementing agency, have longstanding collaborations with the host governments. In collaboration with the five African countries, “Stronger Together” will leverage the expertise of each partner to build laboratory infrastructure and human resources.
While laboratories are being built, the partnership will see Siemens, a global leader in clinical diagnostics, provide laboratory training to laboratory personnel through its Personalized Education Plan (PEP) – the in vitro diagnostics industry’s first virtual competency-based education and training solution, which is designed for advanced customized training.
“Lab tests that deliver timely, accurate, and reliable results, along with skilled laboratory personnel, are crucial for the early detection and management of HIV/AIDS and other epidemics,” notes Michael Reitermann, CEO of Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics.
“We are honoured to work with PEPFAR and CDC to better equip laboratories in Africa with training solutions to fortify the skills and ability of lab personnel to fight these devastating diseases,” said Reitermann.
Countries where PEPFAR has worked with partner governments to build capacity have leveraged the health systems strengthened through PEPFAR to respond to other diseases and disease outbreaks, such as the 2012 Ebola response in Uganda and the 2010 cholera outbreak in Haiti.
“Stronger Together” is expected to expand the availability of necessary training in resource-limited settings, making countries with a high HIV burden better equipped to respond to and control their HIV epidemic.
“PEPFAR has made historic progress in reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS and caring for those living with the disease,” said U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), proponent of “Stronger Together” and a longtime PEPFAR supporter.
“It has already had a transformative impact on the African continent and its potential for saving lives will only grow because of this new partnership,” he adds.