Kathmandu, April 6

Over 25 persons, representing people living with HIV, government, civil society, private sector, national and international NGOs and external development partners from all regions of Nepal gathered here today to participate in a two-day workshop on ‘Fast-Tracking IRRTTR’.

IRRTTR stands for Identify, Reach, Recommend, Test, Treat and Retain. Participants said they expected that the workshop would result in accelerated actions through focused investments in HIV programmes for in priority geographical areas.

“Nepal HIVision 2020” provides strategic directions for the implementation of an innovative, evidence-informed and socially just HIV response that will set Nepal on a fast-track course to end the country’s AIDS epidemic by 2030,” said Director General of Health Services Dr Rajendra Pant said in his opening remarks.

“I am confident that when we effectively ‘Identify, Reach, Recommend, Test, Treat and Retain,’ we will succeed. We have everything we need from science, expertise and experience in our hands — we can do it, and now we need to go out together and do it,” he added.

According to a presentation by Shambhu Kafle of the National Centre for AIDS and STD Control, Nepal has made remarkable progress in its HIV response over the past decades. It is estimated that 33,000 people were living with HIV in Nepal at the end of 2016.

There were approximately 1,000 new HIV infections in 2016 compared to 5 600 in 2001, down by 82 per cent. This success has been due to important partnerships between the government, community groups, national and international non-governmental organisations, and external development partners.

In her presentation, Dr Mukta Sharma from World Health Organisation in Thailand, one of the key contributors to ‘Nepal HIVision 2020,’ highlighted community-led testing for and by key populations as crucial to successful implementation of Nepal’s HIV Plan over the next four years.

Dr Ruben F del Prado, UNAIDS country director and representative, reiterated the importance of what is committed in the plan. He said, “To reach Nepal’s fast-track targets, strategic, prioritised investments are needed; combined with task-sharing between the government and non-government partners, and community in-reach.” Communities have the capacity to take ownership of implementation of the NHSP and can take action by putting resources at reach at work.

“We can support and accompany them towards ‘Community Life Competence’ to fast-track ending the AIDS epidemic in Nepal,” said Marlou De Rouw, of ‘The Constellation’. The global HIV targets call for ensuring 90 per cent of people living with HIV know their HIV status, 90 per cent of people living with HIV who know their status are receiving treatment, and 90 per cent of people on treatment have suppressed viral loads by the year 2020.

Currently, about US$18 million is being invested in Nepal’s HIV response, with only about 15 per cent from domestic resources. To fast-track the HIV response by 2020, it is estimated that annually US$ 30-40 million will be required over the next five years, said UNAIDS Nepal.