On the 2nd and 3rd of August 2018, Laurene Booyens (TB HIV Care’s Care & Treatment Programme Manager) and Gareth Lowndes (Chief Operating Officer) held inaugural meetings with Health Systems Trust (HST), permanent staff and affiliated community-based organisations in Mthatha and Queenstown. They were joined on both days by Sibongile Shezi, HST’s National Project Coordinator.
HST is the current district support partner (DSP) for the Chris Hani and OR Tambo districts in the Eastern Cape. From 1 October 2018, TB HIV Care will inherit these two districts as the new DSP, expanding our Care and Treatment Programme into these regions.
Discussions with province, district and HST led to successful initial transition planning sessions. As a result of our new DSP status, TB HIV Care has secured new office space in Mthatha to accommodate the additional staff.
Gareth Lowndes commented: “I am delighted to finally begin direct negotiations with the staff who will provide direct service delivery on October the first. These preliminary engagements are critical, in terms of enabling effective change management, in addition to ensuring a seamless transition of programmatic activities and sustained service delivery to communities.”
