Voices from the Capacity Project

In Costa Rica, health managers and providers of HIV services considered a problem. With services concentrated in just three hospitals, all located in San Jose, the capacity for providing HIV care and treatment was overtaken by the demand. Waiting lists for enrolling newly diagnosed clients ran up to three months. For increased access, HIV services needed to be decentralized to other facilities. Yet some worried that the quality of care might suffer in the transition.

“In our laboratories, highly qualified staff and modern equipment are available to process samples—which is something that we are proud of,” says Dr. Gloria Terwes, national officer of the HIV Prevention and Control Unit of Costa Rican Social Security (Caja Costarricense de Seguridad Social, or CCSS). Yet an assessment revealed that “infection prevention practices are not being followed rigorously,” she explains. “Underlying problems range from mistakes in the purchase of gloves—various sizes to fit different staff members have not been considered—to underestimating the risk of accidental exposure to any infection, for staff and for our clients.”

The Global Alliance for Pre-Service Education (GAPS) is an online community of practice aimed at strengthening pre-service education in family planning and reproductive health; it is supported by the Capacity Project in collaboration with the WHO and IBP Consortium.