In South Africa, ACCESS works closely with the Department of Health to improve the quality of maternal, newborn and HIV-related health care services. Specifically, ACCESS works to strengthen service delivery in the prevention of mother to child (PMTCT) transmission; to increase capacity to provide cervical cancer prevention services (CECAP); and to ensure that provision of services follow national guidelines.
ACCESS is implementing this project in close coordination with the National Department of Health (NDOH), where ACCESS currently supports a Senior Technical Advisor. ACCESS also works closely with the North West Provincial Department of Health (NW DOH), where both PMTCT and CECAP activities are implemented and with the Foundation for Professional Development, a local non-governmental organization.
To meet its program objectives, ACCESS is helping to strengthen monitoring and evaluation of PMTCT services; develop and implement an integrated model for PMTCT service delivery; build the capacity of health care workers to provide cervical cancer prevention services using the Single Visit (SVA) approach; and develop and disseminate orientation packages that describe national health care guidelines to managers and health care providers. ACCESS also developed standards of care for antiretroviral treatment for adults, and is currently conducting assessments of service delivery performance and quality using these standards at five health facilities in Gauteng Province.
About ACCESS:
The ACCESS Program is the U.S. Agency for International Development''s global program to improve maternal and newborn health. The ACCESS Program works to expand coverage, access and use of key maternal and newborn health services across a continuum of care from the household to the hospital—with the aim of making quality health services accessible for women and newborns. Jhpiego implements the program in partnership with Save the Children, Constella Futures, the Academy for Educational Development, the American College of Nurse-Midwives and Interchurch Medical Assistance.
