Twenty-eighth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

Currently the rate of transmission of HIV in Egypt is exponential with incidence curves approaching epidemic levels. As the majority of the world sees a steady decline in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, Egypt is left behind and remains outside international networks working to eliminate HIV. Egypt’s HIV epidemic is not fully documented because of a cyclic lack of literacy, at both national and individual levels, that prevents lowering transmission rates or effectively communicating with the larger international network working towards AIDS eradication. This research aims to understand how a national HIV health service network can be built and informed using the voices of healthcare workers as a framework. Healthcare workers (HCW) were interviewed because of their proximity to the HIV epidemic in Egypt: they are at the intersection of the interaction between patients, the healthcare system, and the government. Healthcare workers reveal what Egypt’s current crisis looks like, how an ideal future would operate, and how the country can be included in the international HIV network in a manner that preserves Egyptian healthcare sovereignty. Thus this paper offers policy recommendation for future development based on HCW input with the goal of augmenting HIV literacy to a level commensurate with the international community.