Quality standards in provision of facility based HIV care and treatment: a case study from Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania.
OBJECTIVE
A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to assess the quality standards of health facilities providing antiretroviral treatment (ART) in Dar es Salaam from May to July 2005.


METHODS
All ten health facilities (both public and private) already designated by Ministry of Health (MOH) to provide ART, six of them since October 2004 and four since May 2005, were included in the study purposively. The other two not designated were randomly picked and added. A checklist with the MOH required standards was used to assess the availability of infrastructure (equipment and staff) for provision of ART, and noted the number of patient eligible, started on ART and their follow ups.


RESULTS
The study findings indicated that there were inadequate trained personnel, inadequate laboratory equipments, inadequate antiretroviral drugs and isoniazed was under utilized. There were inadequate confidential places for counseling and information system was weak. Not all the eligible patients were able to start ART and comprehensive HIV care and treatment was not provided in all the designated facilities.


CONCLUSIONS
Quality standards for providing ART in eligible health facilities in Dar es Salaam varied from facility to facility with better quality standards in facilities that were designated earlier than those designated later indicating a potential for improvement in future. However fast Improvement in staff training, infrastructure, equipment and drugs supplies, health management information system is needed if we are to treat estimated more than 400,00 HIV/AIDS patients by the year 2010.
Mapunjo
Siana
S
Mwananyamala Municipal Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. smapunjo@yahoo.com
Urassa
David P
DP
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000600:supply & distribution / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active / Q000592:standards*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006268:Health Facilities / Q000592:standards*; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D017149:Private Sector / Q000592:standards; D017064:Process Assessment, Health Care; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000592:standards; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000592:standards
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents