Acceleration of differentiated service delivery for HIV treatment in sub‐Saharan Africa during COVID‐19

Abstract

In response to COVID‐19, national ministries of health adapted HIV service delivery guidelines to ensure uninterrupted access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and limit the frequency of contact with health facilities. In this commentary, we summarize four ways in which differentiated service delivery (DSD) for HIV treatment has been accelerated during COVID‐19 in policy and implementation in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) – (i) expanding eligibility for DSD for HIV treatment, (ii) extending multi‐month dispensing (MMD) and reducing the frequency of clinical consultations, (iii) emphasizing community‐based models and (iv) integrating/aligning with TB preventative therapy (TPT), non‐communicable disease (NCD) treatments and family planning commodities.