Much was done in the area of training in 2007 since more than 20 sessions were organized throughout the year, with an average of 20 participants each time, targeting all types of healthcare professionals: doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, laboratory technicians, people living with HIV/AIDS etc.

> 100 people in 2007

These were the main themes:

● Initial training and/or refresher courses for the prescription of ARVs and medications for opportunistic infections;
● PMTCT and pediatric care ;
● hematology and good laboratory practices ;
● parasitology, biology, immunology ;
● mycobacteriology ;
● HIV/ TB co-infection ;
● nutrition ;
● nursing care ;
● therapeutic training ;
● training of medical and paramedical personnel not directly involved in the management of HIV patients...

In the city of Ségou, all the centers that have an integrated approach to patient management, PMTCT and VCT receive permanent technical support from Solthis for patient diagnosis and treatment. This technical support also includes logistic support: supplies, accompanying laboratory activities, biological and virological testing (i.e. viral load, CD4) etc. Due to geographical distances, it is not possible to be present on a day-to-day basis in all the circles, so the team organizes monthly technical support visits. During each visit, the team separates into 2 or 3 smaller groups to provide simultaneous support of all the different aspects of patient management:

● PMTCT : advice/testing, conformity to ongoing mother and child protocols, follow-up of children (type of feeding chosen, practical organization to identify the final serological status of the child) as well as management of PMTCT reagents.

● Integrated patient management: HIV testing outside the PMTCT program, prescription of ARVs, support for collecting patient data, diagnosis and treatment of opportunistic infections (TB, cryptococcus etc.), coordination of TB and ARV programs; laboratory activities in relation to the initial patient work-up and follow-up during ARV treatment, transfusion safety, hospitalization of infected patients, therapeutic education and psychological support.

● Supply and ARV stock management: distribution forms, evaluating supplies, distributing supplies to appropriate centers.

At the end of the day, all participants meet to exchange information and report on the strengths and weaknesses of the center to come up with appropriate solutions and to make recommendations at the national or regional level.