Building capacity to trace and improve delivery of paediatric antiretrovirals and second-line HIV treatments from central medical stores to local clinics.

Challenges

When supply chains break down, much-needed health products sit at docks and in warehouses undelivered and unused.

Solutions

Unitaid partnered with French governmental aid agency ESTHER to form ESTHERAID, which provided technical support to improve supply-chain management of health products in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic and Mali.

Over five years, the partnership built capacity to trace and improve delivery of paediatric antiretrovirals and second-line HIV treatments from central medical stores to local clinics.

The project tackled supply management and patient-data collection where poor diagnosis and monitoring of people living with HIV had led to low demand for paediatric and second-line antiretrovirals.

Impact achieved

• Better information systems developed for antiretroviral inventory, stock-taking and patient monitoring
• Optimized identification, treatment and monitoring of patients needing paediatric and second-line medication

On 31 December 2014 ESTHER was merged into Expertise France, a new French agency delivering technical advice.