CHAI - Papua New Guinea

The fight against HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea, the eastern half of a large island in the South Pacific shared with a province of Indonesia along with a collection of smaller islands, has been made particularly challenging by geographical and infrastructure constraints. In response, CHAI has partnered with the government of PNG to come up with strategies that are geographically, medically and culturally appropriate. Among other things, CHAI has introduced pediatricians to critical tools, including gold-standard pediatric fixed-dose combination antiretroviral medications, ready-to-use therapeutic foods, and the CHAI-developed dosing wheel.

As part of our comprehensive Rural Initiative, which seeks to increase access to care and treatment for patients living in rural areas and provide a model for care and treatment of rural populations for PNG, CHAI has worked with the provincial government of Eastern Highlands Province to develop multiple strategies for improving the level of care available to children, including early infant diagnosis partnerships; strengthening entry points for pediatric patients; nutritional and social support; and addressing a range of issues and interventions necessary to provide the best possible care to both children and their families.