USAID/Zambia::USAID, STANBIC AND BARCLAYS

LUSAKA, October 18, 2006, The U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador Mark Dybul, visited Maina Soko Military Hospital in Lusaka today to familiarize himself with the hospital’s operations and underscore the U.S. government’s continued assistance to the institution.

Since the establishment of the HIV clinic/laboratory funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2004, Maina Soko Military Hospital continues to benefit from the United States Government’s assistance in strengthening laboratory capacity and HIV/AIDS diagnostic, care, and treatment for Zambia’s military forces: Zambia Air Force (ZAF), Zambia Army (ZA) and Zambia National Services (ZNS) and their families. The Zambia Defense Force (ZDF) personnel are particularly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS due to their mobility, work environment, age and other factors that expose them to high risk of infection.

Maina Soko Hospital is the central medical facility for the military and their families, and it is now equipped with “state-of-the-art” laboratory such as light and fluorescent microscopes, certified bio-safety cabinets, laminar flow cabinets, centrifuges and other items to support TB reference laboratory activities for the Defense Force. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides on-going material and technical laboratory assistance.

The U.S. Department of Defense has also supported training programs for military doctors, clinical officers, and nurses at U.S. military medical institutes in Africa and United States. The training focused on HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment. Maina Soko Hospital has also partnered with various organizations and military institutions to increase the hospital’s capacity in HIV/AIDS care and treatment. The recently established medical library, Learning Resource Center (LRC), is equipped with computers and networks that allow medical staff to access medical journals and research projects from around the world. The center will also receive donations of books and journals through partnership with U.S. military institutions.

Local partners like JHPIEGO Corporation have been funded through the PEPFAR program to work with the Defence Force Medical Services (DFMS) to strengthen the provision of HIV/AIDS services.