Former I ACT Programme Manager Published in the African Journal of AIDS Research

Siyabonga Kave, former I ACT Programme Manager in the Eastern Cape, was recently published in the African Journal of AIDS Research. The study examines the role of support groups in linking and retaining newly diagnosed HIV patients to care. Support groups not only serve as formal link between newly diagnosed patients and health facilities, they mitigate the effects of stigma and are an advocacy and networking tool help patients access health-related needs. 

Our I ACT Programme implemented this type of support group model to strive towards improving the retention rate of newly diagnosed from the time of diagnosis until the maintenance of consistent, long-term antiretroviral treatment suppresses the virus. In 2015, I ACT was adopted as a national care and support strategy by the South African National Department of Health and included as a strategy in the National Adherence Guidelines for Chronic Diseases (tuberculosis, HIV and non-communicable diseases). 

It is great news that Siyabonga is continuing the legacy of I ACT through this research. Click here to read the article.