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AFRICAN
COMPREHENSIVE HIV AIDS PARTNERSHIP (ACHAP) IS
SEEKING NURSES
Below
is a summary of the MASA HIV AIDS treatment
program and the preceptorship program in Botswana.
Masa ARV program in Botswana is the first
national program in Africa that aims to provide
ARVs to its estimated 110,000 estimated eligible
patients. A phased rollout of the program to all
referral, district and primary hospitals in Botswana
was started in January 2002 with a target to complete
the launch by the end of 2004; HIV AIDS specialist
nurses who can come to Botswana as soon as possible
are urgently needed.African Comprehensive HIV
AIDS Partnership (ACHAP) (www.achap.org) is a
partnership between The Merck Company Foundation,
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Government
of Botswana that was founded in 2001 with $100,000
US to help Botswana fight the epidemic. Alongside
many other projects, ACHAP funds and coordinates
the Preceptorship program that runs parallel to
the ARV Treatment program to train all relevant
health care workers in all new ARV sites in Botswana.
Presently there are 23 ARV sites (with 21,000
patients on treatment) and the 9 more scheduled
to be launched in 2004 (site= 1 hospital + (2-4)
supporting satellite clinics). The Preceptorship
program has trained more than 2400 health care
workers in the ARV sites so far. A doctor-nurse
team of preceptors (on 3-6 month rotations) provides
in-facility training according the national guidelines
and the national HIV AIDS curriculum (KITSO).
Over and above the teaching role the preceptors
play a crucial role in the preparation for the
launch phase by providing managerial support to
local administrators in organizing their ARV services.
Since January 2002, 24 physicians and 8 nurses
from USA, UK, Holland, Canada, Belgium, Israel
and Australia have come to Botswana mostly on
3-6 month placements. The remaining sites are
in remote areas and require people who can work
individually, adjust to challenging work in developing
country settings and are committed to mobility.
Families are discouraged from accompanying preceptors.
ACHAP offers free shared accommodation, transport
(shared with a nurse preceptor), air tickets and
reimbursement of utility bills over and above
a generous stipend.
We need 4 nurses imminently in the following
sites:
- 1
to cover Goodhope, Lobatse, Mochudi, Thamaga,
Ramotswa SSKB (based in Gaborone)
- 1
to cover S Phikwe, Mmadinare, Bobonog clinics
(based in Mmadinare)
- 1
in Masunga
- 1
to cover Rakops-Orapa-Letlhlakane based in Letlhakane
If
you are interested please contact:
Ayçe Riley MD MSc
ARV Senior Management Officer
MASA National ARV Program, Botswana
(Seconded by ACHAP)
e-mail: aycha@achap.org
Office Tel: 267 3939 804
Office Fax: 267 3934 381
Mobile: 267 72 300 830
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