HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson Tours Muhimbili Hospital

November 16, 2004 - U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson, on a tour of Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania, reiterated President George W. Bush's commitment to fighting HIV and AIDS in Africa.

The visit comes shortly after President Bush in July, through his Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, announced the distribution of $49 million for fiscal year 2004 to fight HIV and AIDS in Tanzania. President Bush has also requested $84 million for fiscal year 2005 to fight HIV and AIDS in Tanzania. The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is a five-year, $15 billion plan to turn the tide against AIDS in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean.

"We're committed to stopping the scourge of AIDS both at home in America and around the world," said Secretary Thompson. "We're investing the time, the energy, and the resources to fighting AIDS in countries such as Tanzania. And it's great to see that we're helping people get the care they need."

Since 2001, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has collaborated with partner organizations and the Tanzanian government on HIV and AIDS prevention, care, and treatment, through its Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

At the hospital, Secretary Thompson, along with Tanzanian Health Minister Anna M. Abdallah and Dr. David Tregoning, the executive director of the hospital, observed the hospital's Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) and Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission clinics (PMCTC).

This past July, the Muhimbili Hospital started the three-month public ART Pilot Program. The program was supported by three participants from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief: Columbia University, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and Harvard University. The Tanzanian Ministry of Health also provided financial support for the ART clinic. The ART Pilot Program provided HIV and AIDS care and treatment services free to the public, and made available practical experience to help plan for the National ART Program, which began in October 2004.

By the end of the ART Pilot Program in September, 1,254 clients had received services, and 733 had begun antiretroviral treatments. The program's services included HIV and AIDS counseling and testing, drug adherence counseling and guidance, and treatment and clinical follow-up of ART-eligible patients. The U.S. partner organizations provided technical assistance for training, community mobilization, and clinical care, and funded procurement of second-line branded antiretrovirals and laboratory supplies.

During the visit to the ART clinic, Muhimbili Hospital staff also briefed Secretary Thompson about voluntary counseling and testing services offered by nearby Muhimbili HIV Information Centre (MHIC). MHIC recently relocated to a modern facility renovated with support from HHS and CDC.

Secretary Thompson also toured the PMTCT clinic at Muhimbili. Services are integrated within prenatal care. "Perhaps most gratifying, the hospital's Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission services have made it possible for HIV-positive women to give birth to healthy babies," said Secretary Thompson. HIV transmission from mother to child can be reduced by as much as 80 percent with timed PMTCT antiretroviral treatment. On average, three hundred pregnant women visit prenatal care each month where they receive care and basic information on preventing HIV transmission to their unborn children. The clinic offers HIV counseling and testing, PMTCT treatment, and follow-up services. HHS and CDC collaborated with the Tanzanian Ministry of Health to revise staff training, data collection methods, forms, and procedures for PMTCT services.

Last revised: August 14, 2007