Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Years of mechanism: 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Details for Mechanism ID: 10315
Country/Region: Botswana
Year: 2012
Main Partner: American International Health Alliance
Main Partner Program: HIV--AIDS Twinning Center
Organizational Type: NGO
Funding Agency: HHS/HRSA
Total Funding: $150,000

American International Health Alliance (AIHA) provides coordination of the partnership between the Institute of Health Sciences (IHS) and African Palliative Care Association (APCA), whose overall goal is to strengthen the capacity of health training institutions to provide quality palliative care education and training for healthcare workers in Botswana in order to improve care for patients in end-of-life stages due to HIV/AIDS or other illnesses.

This palliative care partnership will contribute to the Partnership Framework initiative to increase access to quality end-of-life care for terminal AIDS patients, as well as PEPFARs goal of providing technical assistance to the Government of Botswana in the formulation of palliative care policy.

The target population of this program is allied health students and faculty at IHS locations in Gaborone, Ramotswa, Kanye, Molepolole, Serowe, Francistown, and Lobatse. The development of this curriculum is expected to end in two to three years by which time training of lecturers and implementation will be completed and activities carried forward by IHS itself. The Ministry of Health (MOH) Palliative Care unit is also involved in these activities, and it is expected that MOH will continue their support even after PEPFAR funding has ended.

An evaluation of the program will take place during this fiscal year. IHS faculty will receive training from APCA in Monitoring and Evaluation processes, and students will be evaluated on quality of care services provided and knowledge of palliative care principles. The evaluation will measure the progress and effectiveness of palliative care integration and implementation in the various IHS campuses.

Funding for Care: Adult Care and Support (HBHC): $150,000

This partnership supports the integration and scale up of palliative care curriculum in the Institute of Health Sciences (HIS) pre-service training programs in general nursing, family nursing, dentistry, and pharmacy. The palliative care curriculum has been integrated into four IHS campus locations. The final three locations will be integrated in FY 2012.Though most of the partnership activities are directed towards curriculum improvement and faculty development, direct service provision takes place by means of a one-week rotation through cooperating hospices. Students get hands-on learning experiences around pain control, spiritual, and psychosocial end-of-life care.AIHA will work with IHS to enhance the palliative care learning resources at IHS Gaborone and other campuses. This includes support for books, journals, and medical databases regarding palliative care, as well as support for internet capabilities so that students are more effectively able to conduct online research.AIHA and APCA (African Palliative Care Association) will provide financial and technical support for a palliative care association to be developed in conjunction with the Ministry of Health Palliative Care unit. The association will be a sustainable body to carry forward palliative care advocacy and education throughout Botswana.Two faculty members will participate in a masters-level distance-learning course in palliative care in order to obtain the high-level knowledge and expertise needed to contribute to policy development and continued curriculum inputs. Through these measures, it is hoped that palliative care programming will be sustainably institutionalized at IHS and that inputs and advocacy for palliative care will also take place at a national level.A program evaluation will be implemented to monitor the quality of students skills and knowledge in the area of palliative care. A graduate-level student intern will be employed to assist with program evaluation data collection and research activities.

Key Issues Identified in Mechanism
enumerations.Impact/End-of-Program Evaluation