In line with the leave no one behind principle, 30 healthcare workers, prison officers and educators were trained to improve HIV testing and prevention services in Conakry, Kindia and Boké prisons. As a result, over 1500 prisoners were sensitized, of whom 1254 inmates accessed testing and 26 people who tested positive were enrolled in treatment services through collaboration with the Guinean network of people living with HIV (REGAP+). Similarly, a total of 527 people from vulnerable and key populations, including fishermen and female sex workers in Katchek Island (Boké) accessed HIV testing services (UNAIDS Secretariat). In the Mandiana prefecture, 120 sex workers also accessed HIV testing services and six people who tested positive were enrolled in treatment at the Oudjala health centre; 50 condom vending machines were installed and 152 000 condoms were distributed, thanks to the effective collaboration with the civil society organization Fraternité Médicale Guinée (FMG). More than 7.4 million condoms were also procured and distributed by the Joint Programme in workplaces and health facilities during the 2022-2023 biennium.
Antenatal care, prevention of vertical HIV transmission, paediatric HIV, hepatitis, syphilis and tuberculosis services were integrated, and 86 healthcare providers were trained to deliver the integrated services in 24 healthcare facilities. Moreover, a total of 234 healthcare providers, including midwives also improved their capacity of delivering reproductive health services through on-site capacity mentoring missions. In addition, 25 000 dual HIV and syphilis test kits, 1200 DBS test kits, over 11 000 boxes of antiretroviral medicines and other essential commodities were procured to facilitate delivery of prevention of vertical transmission and paediatric AIDS services. Neary 15 000 adolescents and young people accessed HIV, sexually transmitted infection, family planning and antenatal services in 2022, thanks to the technical and financial support from the Joint Programme to the Ministry of Health's National Reproductive Health Directorate (UNICEF). In the Mandiana prefecture, 2436 women from 88 community women groups in Mandiana received training and equipment to establish income generating activities which resulted in an increased number of antenatal care visits in the prefecture, where nearly 2000 people were tested for HIV. This support further helped them to increase their crop production from 600kg per hectare to 40 000kg per hectare (UNDP).
More than 42 600 people living with or affected by HIV and tuberculosis received nutritional support and food assistance, with a 97% improvement in nutritional status and only 0.1% lost to follow-up (WFP). Through a partnership with the association of HIV-infected widows and their children (AGV+), 255 women living with HIV from five cities received support to strengthen their income generating activities while 178 women living with HIV and their children who were lost to follow up, were referred to treatment and care services (UNAIDS Secretariat).
To further uphold the rights of people living with HIV, strengthen HIV services and address stigma and discrimination, revisions to the Law L025 (2005) on HIV prevention, care and protection of people living with HIV in the Republic of Guinea were proposed for adoption [note: the revised law was adopted in January 2024] (UNAIDS Secretariat). In addition, the first Stigma Index study was carried out in collaboration with the REGAP+, the national network of women living with HIV (REFIG), and associations of LGBTQI+ people and women. A related advocacy plan was developed to further disseminate and build on the study’s findings.
To reinforce community participation and leadership, a national guide for the implementation of community-led monitoring was developed and 31 members of REGAP+ and the Coalition of Women Leaders (COFEL) received training on data collection, analysis, dissemination and advocacy for better access to HIV services and respect for human rights. Over US$ 63.6 million was mobilized from the Global Fund to further support HIV programmes during the 2024-2026 implementation period (UNAIDS Secretariat).
