In its battle to fight the HIV/Aids pandemic, PSI Botswana Senior Technical Advisor, Paul Dowling, has highlighted that his organization had taken an initiative to develop a national condom strategy in order to enhance its rationale to curb the disease.
Addressing the recent ACHAP meeting in Francistown, Dowling indicated that they had developed a comprehensive operational plan in order to ease their operation. He further highlighted that condoms need specific considerations since dual use of the product involves family planning, the availability of condoms and further cited that supply issues in HIV operational plan are not addressed.
“The key areas to focus on are male and female condoms, all the sectors including public, marketing and commercial. There should be forecasting and procurement from the central level. Supply chain management for all sectors and for all sectors, from all users, the monitoring and evaluation of data.” said Dowling.
He also pointed out that they are working on proceedings to visit the communities, mainly the public, holding meetings, making data analysis and making a National Consultative Workshop to discuss findings, recommendations and develop strategies on the national condom strategy. Dowling indicated that at the end of the year, they will incorporate feedback and deliver a final draft.
“The purpose of this meeting today regarding PSI Botswana is to find out the situation in your district, regarding condom supply and demand, the challenges encountered, the need for national strategy, and what you are doing in your districts on condom programming that could be extended nationally,” he said.
PSI is a non profit organization based in Washington that encourages the private sector to address the health problems of low income and vulnerable populations in more than 60 developing countries, Botswana being one of them. The organization has programs in malaria, reproductive health, child survival and HIV. PSI also promotes products, services and healthy living.
