Linkages project achieves good results – Review confirms that linking sexual and reproductive health with HIV improves services.

Significant progress has been made in all seven countries where the joint UNFPA/UNAIDS regional project on Linking SRHR and HIV in Southern Africa” or “SRHR and HIV Linkages Project”, since 2011.

In Botswana, for instance, a 30 per cent increase in women living with HIV accessing dual family planning services was recorded in one of the project districts, while screening for cervical cancer has risen by more than 50 per cent. This resulted from the introduction of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, specifically family planning and cervical cancer screening, by re-allocating midwives from the Sexual Reproductive Health unit of the clinic to the Infectious Disease Control Clinic.

The project’s good results were discussed at the third regional project steering committee meeting in Johannesburg in September, which focused on the findings and recommendations of a mid-term review. To read more click here.

See more on the UNFPA Eastern and Southern Africa Website