At two workshops held with the Department of Justice and Correctional Services (DJCS) in August, TB/HIV Care Association was able to report on several improvements in TB and HIV care in the Pollsmoor Management Area.
Any successes have been made possible by the close partnership between the stakeholders involved in providing TB and HIV care in correctional services. Many of these partners were present at the workshops which took place in the Western and Eastern Cape and included the National and Regional Department of Justice and Correctional Services (DJCS), who hosted the workshops, the Departments of Health (DOH) (Western and Eastern Cape), the Hospice Palliative Care Association, the National Health Laboratory Systems, Right to Care, SA Partners and Sonke Gender Justice.
The aim of the workshops was to solidify these partnerships and chart a way forward. The objectives therefore included informing all participants of donor-funded project activities in TB and HIV care, working on operational plans to strengthen TB and HIV health care service provision in correctional services settings and the clarification of the roles and responsibilities of all the stakeholders.
Formal presentations were done by the heads of the DOH and DJCS from national and provincial levels and thereafter breakaway group discussions took place around several focus areas. Each group created plans on how to address challenges within their area of expertise and team members were identified to take the lead in the implementation of these plans.
