APZU project history

2006 – In autumn 2006, after receiving a request from the government of Malawi and the Clinton-Hunter Development Initiative (CHDI), PIH dispatched a team to survey health conditions and facilities at possible sites in rural Malawi and to develop an action plan to launch a project early in 2007.

2007 – In January, a joint team including staff from PIH and CHDI begins to refurbish the ten existing facilities in Neno and to provide reinforcements and training for the staff to scale up both general medical care and testing and treatment of HIV. In February, PIH officially launches Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo (APZU), the PIH partner organization in Malawi. In mid-February, PIH doctors start working with Malawian nurses to provide care for more than 100 patients a day. The number of patient visits continues to increase as PIH expands services at several other health centers in the Neno District. In April, APZU breaks ground on a new district hospital, and construction continues throughout the year.

2008 – In January, APZU launches a TB registration site. Over the next six months, APZU diagnoses and treats more than 200 TB patients using Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) and food packages in conjunction with close monitoring and follow up. APZU trains 300 full-time community health workers to support the four busiest health centers in the district; the project records an extremely high patient follow-up retention rate of 98%. By the end of June, the new Neno district hospital is 90% complete; the campus includes an inpatient ward for men, women and children, a pediatric intensive care unit, a laboratory, blood bank, two surgical theaters, a pharmacy, and an emergency room. APZU’s Program on Social and Economic Rights (POSER) continues to work closely with six different community-based organizations to tackle the conditions of poverty that lead to disease and to provide support to patients with HIV. POSER builds community centers, establishes new vocational training programs and provides support for agricultural activities. The program builds fifteen new homes for patients and provides 100 children with money for tuition, school uniforms and school supplies.

2009 – The Lisungwi Community Hospital, a completely new facility, officially opens; the campus is complete with 60 beds, X-ray and ultrasound, as well as a full laboratory capable of CD4 count testing for HIV testing. The health worker model expands to cover issues beyond HIV and TB; village health workers visit 30 households once a month and offer increased care for chronic diseases and basic health needs, including antenatal care and childhood vaccines. The Malawi Ministry of Health partners with APZU to pilot an innovative touch screen system for collecting HIV/AIDS treatment data at the point of care called Baobab Antiretroviral Treatment system, or BART. BART guides clinical care, improves data accuracy, and gives clinicians real-time access to the data. Further collaboration continues on a new system to track and integrate patient data. APZU doubles the number of clinics providing antiretroviral treatment (ART) for HIV patients from two to four, improving patients’ ability to seek care and adhere to their treatments. POSER builds 20 patients’ homes and support 378 children’s schooling expenses and supported vocational programs through community-based organizations and women’s groups.