Mutemi R, Forsythe S, Arthur G; International Conference on AIDS.

Int Conf AIDS. 2000 Jul 9-14; 13: abstract no. TuOrC310.

R. Mutemi, National AIDS and STD Control Programme, PO Box 19361, Nairobi, Kenya, E-mail: steveforsythe@yahoo.com

Background: Voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) has been shown to be effective in limiting the transmission of HIV. In Kenya's most recent DHS, 63% of adults indicated a willingness to be tested for HIV. However, VCT is available in only a limited number of locations. Therefore this economic analysis was performed to assess the financial feasibility of scaling-up VCT to health centres throughout Kenya. Methods: To develop estimates of the financial requirements necessary for scaling-up VCT to a national level, the costs of VCT at 2 rural and 1 urban health centre where VCT has recently been introduced were used. Data from these health centres was used to estimate costs for providing VCT throughout Kenya. Results: The annual recurrent cost of maintaining VCT in Kenya is approximately US$6,600 per health centre. In order to provide VCT in all 579 health centres throughout Kenya, it would cost approximately US$3.8 million per year. (This cost excludes the cost of training and other start-up costs.) Of this amount, approximately US$3.3 million would be incurred for the salaries of full-time counsellors and US$0.5 million would be incurred for materials (including rapid test kits). This total recurrent cost of VCT would consume approximately 2 percent of Kenya's health budget. Conclusions: Scaling-up VCT so as to provide services throughout Kenya's 579 health centres appears to be a feasible option, although Kenya may need to consider a combination of financing options. These options include cost sharing, government subsidies and donor support. In order to assure the effectiveness of any intervention to scale-up VCT services in Kenya and to overcome Kenya's shortage of qualified HIV/AIDS counsellors, it is likely that additional external finances will still be required from international donors, particularly in providing initial training and retraining of HIV/AIDS cousellors.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Adult
• Costs and Cost Analysis
• Counseling
• Financing, Government
• HIV Infections
• HIV Seropositivity
• Humans
• Kenya
• Rural Population
• Urban Health
• economics

Other ID:

• GWAIDS0001726

UI: 102239219

From Meeting Abstracts