Get to know AT focus

AT FOCUS is a learning space for exchanging knowledge of AIDS and Tuberculosis under the project titled STAR. The STAR project is known as the cooperation of government sector, together with the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)  for learning and to build the sustainability in reaching the goal of ending AIDS as well as TB in Thailand.

STAR stands for Stop TB and AIDS through RRTTR which is a service package consisting of five components (Reach-Recruit-Test-Treat-Retain). STAR cooperates with RRTTR and enhances  the participation between the government sector and Civil Society Organizations; therefore, it is sustainable for the access of accurate testing as well as treatments for 5 key populations which are MSM, TG, PWID, Migrants and their partners. STAR received the grant from The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and there are two principal recipients from the government sector which is Department of Disease Control and from the civil society which is Raks Thai Foundation.

comma
Stop TB and
AIDS through
RTTR
comma

About Raks Thai

Raks Thai is the principal recipient of the civil society responsible for the STAR project (the Stop TB and AIDS through RRTTR). Raks Thai is in charge of implementing in 28 provinces. There are nine CSOs who are working in these provinces as the sub-recipients of STAR project:  1) Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand 2) MPLUS Thailand 3) Sister Foundation 4) MAP Foundation 5) Stella Maris Seafarers Center Songkhla 6) Pattanarak Foundation 7) O-Zone Foundation 8) Thai Drug Users’ Network 9) Foundation for AIDS Rights.)

Goal:
Reach- Recruit- Test- Treat- Retain: RRTTR

1. To end AIDS by reducing 6,176 HIV new infections in 2016 to below 1,000 by 2030


2. To reduce the TB incidence from 172 in 2016 to 88 per 100,000 by 2021

Stretegy

1)      To prevent the transmission of HIV and TB by sustaining intensive behavior change activities, appropriate use of prophylaxis and strategic use of ant-retroviral drugs.

2)      Actively find HIV and TB cases in the community and health care settings by recruiting 'at risk' and vulnerable populations into HIV testing and TB screening.

3)      To ensure early and accurate diagnosis of both diseases by improving diagnostic capability, and reducing turn-around time (by using rapid HIV testing and molecular diagnostic techniques for TB).

4)      To provide early treatment and ensure retention in care for all those diagnosed with HIV and/or TB.

5)      To foster collaborative activities across HIV and TB programs at national and sub-national levels and ensure sustainability by strengthening linkages between community and health systems.

6)      To prepare Thailand to transition fully to sustained domestic funding and efficient implementation system through a partnership between communities, private and public sectors.

How we work

The main strategy of STAR project under the operation of Raks Thai emphasizes on working in 28 provinces that have the highest level of HIV and TB transmission. STAR expects to decrease the transmissions, the morbidity rates as well as mortality rates by reinforcing both preventions and treatments for key populations who are infected and not able to get appropriate services. Moreover, STAR shall encourage those communities, especially the remote ones, together with migrants who are not covered with the national health insurance scheme, to protect themselves from the diseases and eventually they are able to reach the HIV or TB services. The strategy is based on RRTTR (Reach-Recruit-Test-Treat-Retain) that follows the national strategy for Ending AIDS in Thailand. STAR also longs for developing an information system to monitor the diseases in Thailand as well as creating the whole new system for HIV and TB evaluation, along with the coherence of TB information system, as well asfinding new methods to diagnose faster and to better the medications.

Budget

The duration of Stop TB and AIDS through RRTTR or STAR, which is under the operation of Raks Thai, is 3 years and was ended in 31st December 2017. The project budget, that is from the Global Fund, is 22,632,328 (USD)  for the operation from 1st January 2016 to 31st December 2017.