EpiC Semi-Annual Report (FY21 Q3-Q4 April to September 2021) - Philippines

Despite this, the Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) Project was able to make significant progress in various areas. The project was able to onboard all project staff, including those seconded to the national HIV program, and deploy Program Coordinators and data encoders in the EpiC sites. This enabled the project to catch up on selected services and achieve 99% for PREP_NEW, 135% for PREP_CURR, and 111% for TX_CURR. The project also contributed to the capacity development of local implementers through a series of trainings on case management, intimate partner violence (IPV) management, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) management, and local data management and analysis. However, the project fell short on several performance indicators, including PREV (49%), HIV_TST (25%), HTS_TST_POS (43%), and TX_NEW (49%). This was attributed to the late start-up of the project, ongoing COVID-19 surges, and community quarantines that limited the mobility of clients and outreach workers. The project worked closely with the Procurement and Supply Management (PSM) staff seconded to the Department of Health (DOH) National HIV, AIDS and STI Prevention and Control Program (NASPCP) to provide clinical research evidence that contributed to the Health Technology Assessment Committee (HTAC) approval of Tenofovir, Lamivudine, and Dolutegravir (TLD) and Dolutegravir (DTG)-containing regimen certificate of product registration (CPR). This resulted in the inclusion of TLD and DTG in the Philippine National Formulary, enabling government procurement. The project also finalized sub-agreements with community-based implementers, including Central Luzon (Region 3) partners and Love Yourself. All implementing partners contributed to the delivery of HIV testing and treatment services at the community and facility levels. During the reporting period, the project provided prevention services to 8,115 key population members, with 50% of them reported by National Capital Region (NCR) sites, 33% by Region 3 sites, and 17% by CALABARZON (Region 4A) sites. The project achieved a 49% accomplishment against target in FY21 for the KP_PREV indicator, with significant contributions from the expansion of outreach activities through community partners and the shift of efforts towards online reach strategies. The project also started initiatives with different partners to facilitate reaching more key populations, including the pilot of incentivized client referral (ICR) in Region 3 and the implementation of QuickRes and the Going Online model. The project reported 13,911 key populations tested for HIV and knew their results (HTS_TST) with 1,468 key populations testing HIV positive in Q3-Q4. Among those tested, 53% were tested at NCR sites, 25% at Region 3 sites, and 22% at Region 4A sites. The project worked closely with community partners, including HIV and AIDS Support House (HASH) and Regional TB-HIV Support Network (RTHSN)-Lakan, to facilitate the increase in HTS_TST uptake. The project also engaged new motivators with untapped networks and established a stronger online presence using varied platforms such as Grindr, Twitter, and Facebook to market community-based screening (CBS). The project continues to work closely with the Department of Health-Epidemiology Bureau (DOH-EB) to improve data reporting and address gaps in reporting. The project also continues to provide technical assistance to local implementers to enhance their capacity to deliver HIV testing and treatment services.