FHI 360 PHILIPPINES IS PROUD OF PEPFAR
On this World AIDS Day, Global AID Policy Partnership (GAPP) members share why they are so proud of PEPFAR’s. Below, read why Teresita (Bai) Marie Bagasao, Project Director for Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC), FHI 360 Philippines is proud of PEPFAR.
Why do you think PEPFAR is widely recognized as a shining example of U.S. global leadership and bipartisanship?
The success of PEPFAR demonstrates that, when the world has the tools and the political will, collective action can greatly reduce morbidity and mortality. PEPFAR’s inclusive, whole-of-government strategy brought together and focused all of the assets and strengths of U.S. agencies and civil society in a coordinated effort with impact far surpassing the potential of any one actor. In doing so, PEPFAR has emerged as a powerful and lasting testament to the power of core U.S. principles of service, compassion, and collaboration.
Can you think of any specific examples/stories of PEPFAR’s work in a country or community that highlight its impact?
PEPFAR support for the Philippines started in 2019 with the introduction of PrEP (pre exposure prophylaxis), which was immediately added as part of the national prevention strategy. In just the first two years of PrEP implementation, we have focused on the prevention of HIV in geographies where new cases are among the highest in the world. In 2021, the U.S. government donated 20,000 bottles of PrEP to the Philippines Department of Health. This initiative aimed to reach over 3,500 clients from key populations with the HIV prevention drug over two years.
Why do you think it is so important for the U.S. to play such a significant role in the global HIV/AIDS response?
By continuing to play a significant leadership role, the U.S. not only saved more than 25 million lives, but strengthened global and health security in the face of emergent crises and threats. A recent example is how the PEPFAR-developed platform allowed countries to leverage the experience, expertise, and infrastructures in place from over two decades to act on COVID-19 and Mpox.
Apart from funding resources, the U.S. leads in medical research and innovation, supporting person- centered programming, and contributing to the discovery and development of new treatments and technologies that improve the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS. Due to the good-faith relationships, systems, and solutions established through PEPFAR, the U.S. is optimally positioned to lead, achieve, and sustain impact in the face of global health security and other threats, while also helping to make AIDS history.
What makes PEPFAR so effective? What lessons from PEPFAR can we apply to other global health challenges?
PEPFAR is so effective because it puts emphasis on high impact, person-centered, locally relevant, and agile approaches in addressing program gaps while taking into consideration the varying contexts of places that it supports.
In the spirit of “nothing about us without us” that has been a hallmark of the community response to HIV, PEPFAR’s leadership in elevating local voices and bringing governments and their communities together leads to more meaning and impact in addressing the local epidemics.
What would you tell people who say that we should not be focusing on one single disease area at this level when there are so many other global health challenges?
PEPFAR has shown the world that focusing on one single disease helps to direct resources and effort for optimal impact. At the same time, it has established the relationships, systems, solutions, and infrastructure necessary to achieve resilience and impact in the face of other existing and emergent public health threats.
The single disease was an entry point, but the strategies and solutions were not only health-focused. They embraced the related social, economic, political, and cultural determinants such as stigma, discrimination, lack of social protection, etc.
Controlling the epidemic reduces the risk of new infections and related health crises. The learnings and approaches in HIV are universally applicable to other disease areas especially infectious diseases. Furthermore, HIV is still growing in parts of the world. Until a cure is found, the world is still not safe from the threat.
This past spring, PEPFAR was reauthorized for 1 year. Typically, it receives a 5-year reauthorization. Why is a multiyear reauthorization necessary?
HIV remains complex and new challenges emerge that constantly require innovative solutions, partnerships, policies, and systems. Moving the needle on all of these fronts requires a longer, sustained dialogue, the capacity for multi-year planning, and the ability to assess changes and opportunities over time to make needed pivots. A multiyear reauthorization allows for some predictability to implement strategies, programs, and solutions that yield outcomes.
If you could tell U.S. decision makers one thing about why you are proud of PEPFAR, what would it be?
PEPFAR’s innovation, based on data-informed decision making, has led to successes in its supported countries, notably in Africa, in a scale unimaginable in the early 2000s. The Philippines is a “late entrant,” with PEPFAR support starting in October 2020. The first year was further exacerbated by COVID-19, another disease that impacted the world. Despite these setbacks, the roll out of PrEP, the scale up of the safest and most effective dolutegravir-based HIV treatment regimens and viral load testing, plus coverage expansion were all achieved with PEPFAR support. PEPFAR demonstrated that it can facilitate much needed changes in the Philippines’ HIV response in less than five years of its operation in the country.