The Extent Of Functional Integration Of Hiv And Aids Services At Local Level In South Africa

WITS HEALTH CONSORTIUM & DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

 Executive Summary

The impact of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic continues to undermine social development achievements, such as the efforts for fostering self-reliance and institutional development, which are meant to reverse the legacies of apartheid. While finding a definite cure for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and AIDS has remained elusive, a lot has been learnt about mitigating the impact of the disease in its various forms. One lesson has been that the disease has impact and implications in areas beyond health, and the response needs to adopt a multi-sectoral strategy and engage stakeholders from across sectors, institutions and disciplines. A multi-sectoral strategy demands the integration of HIV and AIDS services into the core activities of all public sector departments and civic organizations through well-coordinated intersectoral collaboration. The success of such integration efforts has to be based on a solid understanding of the varying service delivery paradigms across the relevant sector departments. Services are delivered at local level, and the effectiveness of the response as it emerges from all levels of government and society, is only as relevant as the difference this makes in people's lives. In the light of this, the Department of Social Development (DSD) undertook this study in order to understand the influence, processes and outcomes of integration at local level.

The aims of the study were:
• to review perspectives, standards and national policies for integrated HIV and AIDS
services
• to review experience of integration through published literature and case studies
• to identify the components of integrated HIV and AIDS services at local level, at nine
sites in South Africa
• to identify lessons, challenges and recommendations regarding functional integration
of HIV and AIDS services