The Pediatric AIDS Corps: responding to the African HIV/AIDS health professional resource crisis
Kline, M.W.; Ferris, M.G.; Jones, D.C.; Calles, N.R.; Mizwa, M.B.; Schwarzwald, H.L.; Wanless, R.S.; Schutze, G.E.
Pediatrics 123(1): 134-136
2009
ISSN/ISBN: 1098-4275 PMID: 19117871 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2008-0402Document Number: 203606
Health professional capacity for delivery of HIV/AIDS care and treatment is severely constrained across sub-Saharan Africa. African health professional expertise in pediatrics is in particularly short supply. Here we describe a Pediatric AIDS Corps program that was designed to place pediatricians and other physicians in Africa on a long-term basis to expand existing health professional capacity for pediatric and family HIV/AIDS care and treatment. In the first 2 years of this program, 76 physicians were placed in 5 African countries that have been hit hard by HIV/AIDS. Enrollment of HIV-infected children in care more than quadrupled over a 24-month period, to 26 590. We believe that this pilot program can serve as a model for larger-scale efforts to immediately expand access for African children and families to life-saving HIV/AIDS care and treatment.