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Category: Europe & Eurasia

  • Findings of Behavior Surveillance Surveys (BSS) to be Endorsed Soon

    Curatio International Foundation in collaboration with Infectious Diseases, AIDS and Clinical Immunology Research Center and Public Union Bemoni has carried out Behavior Surveillance Surveys with biomarker component among intravenous drug users (IDUs).

    The activity covered 5 Georgian regions -Tbilisi, Batumi, Gori, Zugdidi, Telavi. The effort became possible in the framework of the project “Establishment of evidence-base for national HIV/AIDS program by strengthening the HIV/AIDS surveillance system in the country” funded by the Global Fund. The survey was conducted using RDS methodology and included face-to-face interviews followed by blood testing on HIV and Syphilis.

    Findings will be introduced at the workshop which will gather representatives from Ministry of Labor, Health, and Social Affairs, National Center for Public Health and Disease Control, non-governmental organizations implementing preventing activities targeting IDUs and other stakeholders.

    The study reports will be unveiled in the mid fall.

    In the framework of the same project the sentinel surveillance among STI patients and Behavior Surveillance Surveys (BSS) with biomarker component among Commercial Sex Workers (CSWs), and Prisoners have been carried out.

  • The Study on System-wide Effects of the Global Fund on Georgia’s Health Care Systems posted on GHIN website

    The country case summary displayed on GHIN website was prepared as part of the academic consortium of the WHO Maximizing Positive Synergies between health systems and GHIs initiative. The study assesses the effects of the Global Fund funding on the health system in Georgia.

    It focuses on the policy environment, public-private interactions, human resources and access to HIV/AIDS services.

    The effects of Global Fund funding on Georgia’s health system were assessed in a two phase study conducted during 2004-2008. The study was part of the System Wide Effects of the Fund (SWEF) Network, which participates in the Global HIV/AIDS Initiatives Network (GHIN), where researchers explore the effects of Global Health Initiatives (GHI) on HIV/AIDS programs and health systems of the countries.

    The findings presented draw from a base-line survey implemented in 2004; the survey was carried out in 35 health facilities, in 26 districts, with a follow up study a year later.

    Follow the link to view the article.

  • Behavior Surveillance Survey among CSWs Covers Batumi and Tbilisi

    Curatio International Foundation together with Infectious Diseases, AIDS and Clinical Immunology Research Center and Association Tanadgoma carried out Behavior Surveillance Survey with biomarker component among CSWs.

    The survey targeted the capital Tbilisi and regional city Batumi, sampling 280 individuals. The study was conducted using TLS methodology and went through face-to-face interviews followed by blood testing.

    The activity was carried out in the framework of the Global Fund project “Establishment of evidence-base for national HIV/AIDS program by strengthening the HIV/AIDS surveillance system in the country”. Study results will be available in the late fall.

    In the framework of the same project the sentinel surveillance among STI patients and Behavior Surveillance Surveys with biomarker component among STI patients and Behavior Surveillance Surveys with biomarker component among Intravenous Drug Users (IDUs),and prisoners have been carried out.

  • Sentinel Surveillance Method to Provide Reliable HIV/AIDS Statistical Data

    In the framework of the Global Fund project “Establishment of evidence-base for national HIV/AIDS program by strengthening the HIV/AIDS surveillance system in the country” Curatio International Foundation has launched 2 sentinel surveillance sites at STI clinics.

    In March 2009 two surveillance sites were established at STI Clinics in Tbilisi and Batumi. The effort representing one of the components of the Global Fund project “Establishment of evidence-base for national HIV/AIDS program by strengthening the HIV/AIDS surveillance system in the country” aimed at calculating HIV prevalence among sub-population. Both sites were equipped with test systems necessary for implementation of sentinel epidemiological surveillance. During four months 988 and 254 patients have been tested in Tbilisi and Batumi respectively.

    Collection of data through sentinel surveillance will make possible to provide evidence-grounded HIV/AIDS statistics and strenghten HIV/AIDS surveillance in Georgia.

    The results of the survey will be available by the end of July.

    In the framework of the same project the Behavior Surveillance Surveys (BSS) with biomarker component among intravenous drug users (IDUs), Commercial Sex Workers (CSWs), and prisoners has been carried out.

  • Curatio International Foundation Contributes to Global HIV/AIDS Initiatives

    Curatio International Foundation is a member of Global HIV/AIDS Initiatives Network (GHIN). As a part of the WHO Maximizing Positive Synergies publication “Interactions between Global Health Initiatives and Health Systems: Evidence from countries” Georgia Case study “System-wide effects of the Global Fund on Georgia’s health care systems” was prepared by highly qualified experts of the Curatio International Foundation.

    The Global HIV/AIDS Initiatives Network (GHIN) is a network of researchers in 21 countries Georgia being one of them in the face of Curatio International Foundation. The network explores the impact of Global Health Initiatives(GFATM, MAP, PEPFAR) on existing health systems and health system development of the recipient countries. Network focuses on collecting evidence of these effects from regions and communities, in order to inform policy development at national and international level.

    In the framework of the network and in close collaboration with WHO Maximizing Positive Synergies publication “Interactions between Global Health Initiatives and Health Systems: Evidence from countries” has been developed and presented for discussion on June 23, 2009 to the G8 Development Ministers’ Meeting in Venice, Italy.

    As a part of this publication Georgia case study “System-wide effects of the Global Fund on Georgia’s health care systems”was prepared by Ketevan Chkhatarashvili, George Gotsadze and Natia Rukhadze (Curatio International Foundation). Case study is based on the findings of two surveys conducted in Georgia by CIF during 2004-2008. Surveys aimed to learn possible impact of GFATM funding on countries’ health care system development.

  • Health in Times of Transition

    Health in Times of Transition: Trends in Population Health and Health Policies in CIS countries (“HITT-CIS”) is primarily funded by the European Commission (DG Research – FP7). HITT-CIS is a large scale international study of 10 post-soviet countries that tries to understand long-term trends in population health, social and economic burden of disease, living conditions, patterns of nutrition, habits of alcohol and tobacco consumption, public health policies, access to health care. The overall aim of HITT is to contribute to the improvement of the health of the populations and health care systems CIS countries. Project started in the spring 2009 and will continue until 2013. HITT-CIS research consortium is a partnership of 13 teams from leading universities and research companies from the European Union, the CIS and Canada. CIF participates as an expert partner in the consortium and works in collaboration with the LSHTM.

    For further information read the publication.

  • Mr. George Gotsadze approved as a Permanent Member of the Global Fund TRP

    By the decision of the Global Fund 19-th board meeting Mr.George Gotsadze, the Director of Curatio International Foundation was appointed as a Permanent Member of the Technical Review Panel (TRP).

    On May 5-6, 2009 at the Global Fund 19-th board meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland the decision upon appointment of Dr. George Gotsadze as a permanent member of the Technical Review Panel (TRP) was made. Mr. Gotsadze will serve as a member up to four rounds commencing from round 9.

    The TRP consists of a maximum of 40 experts. Experts are appointed by the Board for a period of up to four Rounds and are assigned diverse membership opportunities. The Board usually relies on an independent panel of international experts of health and development to guarantee the integrity and consistency of an open and transparent proposal review process and thus support implementation of sound and cost-effective initiatives against fighting AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

    Learn more about TRP and Global Fund’s board decisions.

  • The research article on Household Catastrophic Health Expenditure-evidence from Georgia and its policy implications published in BMC Health Services Research

    On April 28,2009 the research article on Household Catastrophic Health Expenditure-evidence from Georgia and its policy implications was published on the online scientific journal BMC Health Services Research. The research undertaken by the highly qualified experts of Curatio International Foundation was funded by the organization itself. The study was based on the data of the Health Care Utilization and Expenditure survey conducted during May-June 2007 prior to preparing for new phase of implementation for the health care financing reforms. It aimed at quantifying extent of catastrophic household health expenditures, exploring its influencing factors and estimating fairness in Financial Contribution (FFC) index in Georgia to establish the baseline for expected reforms and contribute to the design and the fine-tuning of the major reforms in health care financing initiated by the government mid-2007. The research results show that in Georgia between 2000 and 2007 access to care for poor has improved slightly and the share of households facing catastrophic health expenditures have seemingly increased from 2.8% in 1999 to 11.7% in 2007. Follow the link to read the article.

  • CIF Hosts workshop on Classifications for Hospital and Laboratory intervention

    On March 5, 2009 the CIF, in the framework of USAID funded CoReform project organized the workshop on Classifications for Hospital and Laboratory intervention.

    On March 5, 2009 the workshop on Classifications for Hospital, Ambulatory and Laboratory interventions was held. Over 23 participants representing MOLSHA, Health and Social Programs Agency (HeSPA), Georgian Insurance Association (GIA), Social Services Agency, private insurance companies and USAID along with other members of the project attended the workshop. Event participants were presented and handed-over those classifications (NCSP and laboratory interventions) which do not require license as a necessary precondition for implementation.

    The effort became possible in the framework of one of the components of the USAID funded CoReform project which aims at supporting insurance companies in registering and processing the information received from providers and establishing effective reporting system between private insurance companies and the Ministry. This was achieved through a) translating and adapting to the Georgian realities international classifications for medical interventions: NOMESCO Classification for Surgical Procedures (NCSP) and the International Classification for Primary Care (ICPC 2) developed by WONCA; and b) developing suitable for Georgia laboratory interventions widely using international experience.

    After securing license for ICPC2 (since NCSP does not need it) the Ministry planns to issue normative decree to make all classifications official national classifications.

  • Cooperation in Health Care System Transformation in Georgia-CoReform Project, 2004-2009

    In 2004 with the financial aid of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in the Caucasus, the project “Cooperation in Heath System Transformation Project” commenced. The project was completed in September 2009. The project provided technical assistance to the Government of Georgia (GoG) to strengthen its capacity to transform the health system of the country into a more efficient, accountable, and transparent one. With the cooperation of the Ministry of Labor, Health, and Social Affairs (MoLHSA), Abt Associates (Abt), Care International (CARE), Emerging Markets Group (EMG), and Curatio International Foundation (CIF), the project was designed to assist the government of Georgia to improve its health care financing system, reproductive health support, family planning (RH/FP), and strengthen health institutions at the national level.

    Activities were designed to position the GoG to adopt an innovative and comprehensive approach towards formulating solutions that address significant equity and affordability gaps in the health system, high abortion rates, and the limited donor coordination.

    The project consisted of the following major components:

    Health Financing and Policy Development;
    National Health Accounts;
    Family Planning and Reproductive Health;
    Organizational Development and Donor Harmonization.
    National Health Accounts was implemented by CIF in close cooperation with MoLHSA and an intersectoral working group represented by following agencies: Public Health Department, Ministry of Economy, State Statistic Department, Insurance State Supervision Board, Insurance Association, SUSIF, Ministry of Finances, Statistic and Disease Control Centre, and National Institute of Health and Social Issues. The main goal of the project was to implement and institutionalize National Health Accounts (NHA) as a policy tool and integrate it within broader health system reforms. This component took place in the period of September 2004 -September 2007.

    Family Planning and Reproductive Health has been implemented by Care International, which has specific responsibility to implement this component in close partnership with CIF. The main goal of the reproductive health (RH) and family planning (FP) policy component of the project was to achieve an improved legislative, regulatory, and policy framework to provide an adequate supply to the increased demand for quality reproductive health services. The RH/FP policy team strategy was to assist the MoLHSA by supporting the policy working group at national level. The activities of the reproductive Health Policy Working Group were designed to achieve objectives related to the improvement of access to RH/FP services. Target outputs of the policy working group included: a comprehensive review and analysis of the current policy and regulatory framework governing the provision of and access to family planning and reproductive health information and services; a National RH/FP Policy to enhance access to and delivery of quality RH services; the National RH Strategy for the purpose of providing guidance for activating the RH policy; and drafting legislation in support of the Georgian RH Policy, in order to provide the MoLHSA and the government with a legislative platform to implement the Policy (in progress). This second component of the project took place between October 2004 and September 2008.

    Organizational Development and Donor Harmonization. The main goal of this component of the project was to achieve a “better functioning of the MoLHSA through improvement of the functioning of organizations within the health sector, establishment of coordinated linkage between policy planning, project design, and project implementation.” Since 2004, the CoReform OD Team has been providing significant assistance to the MoLHSA and its affiliated agencies to define their core functions, to put in place functional structures with clear roles and responsibilities, establish a health policy process that is more transparent and systematic, institutionalize donor harmonization and coordination as a routine function of the MoLHSA, and build the capacity of the Ministry staff to enable them to effectively carry our their newly defined roles and responsibilities. The key implementer of this component during the optional period (October 2006 – September 2009) is CIFs in close partnership with Abt Associates, which had been performing specific responsibilities in the Project Base Period (October 2004 – September 2006). The major strategies of the component are: the MoLHSA System Reorganization, Performance Improvement, Policy Cycle Management, and Capacity Building.