The U.S. Department of Defense HIV Prevention Program (DHAPP), in collaboration with South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF)-HIV secretariat, organized a workshop November 18-19 on “Military HIV Sustainability and Index Dashboard (MILSID).” The workshop attracted a wide range of participants and stakeholders led by the SSPDF Health Services and included the South Sudan AIDS Commission and Ministry of Health, UNAIDS, representatives of various civil society organizations, and People Living with HIV, and others.
The MILSID is a tool that helps the host government and military understand their HIV-response sustainability capacities and identifies priority areas for investment. Participants identified key strengths and vulnerabilities of the program’s sustainability in four domains: (1) governance and leadership, (2) health systems and service delivery, (3) strategic investment and sustainable financing, and (4) strategic information; all of these are critical for a sustainable HIV program.
The workshop concluded with recommendations to complete a new MILSID and to generate a final report. While acknowledging the importance of DHAPP support through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to the SSPDF-HIV program, participants highlighted the need to prioritize and scale-up domestic financing toward a more sustainable HIV programing in the country.
