Strategies employed by drop-in centres in contributing to South Africa’s 90-90-90 HIV target: A case study of the City of Johannesburg, Gauteng

Abstract

The primary goal of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is to bring an end to the HIV/AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.To achieve this goal, UNAIDS introduced the 90-90-90 HIV target, in which 30million people worldwide would be on treatment, 90% of people living with HIV would know their status, 90% who know their status would be on antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, and 90% on ARVs would attain viral suppression. South Africa adopted the strategy by engaging with various stakeholders, including non-profit organisations (NPOs).Drop-in centres (DICs) are among the NPOs funded by the Department of Social Development (DSD)and supported by USAID/PEPFAR funded organisations. The aim of the study was to explore the strategies employed by DICs in contributing to the 90-90-90 HIV target realisation. The study employed a qualitative case study design. Using a non-probability purposive sampling technique, five DICs were sampled from which four employees were selected per DIC and totalling 20 participants. Semi-structured interviews using an interview schedule were conducted to collect data. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. The study’s findings demonstrate that DICs have established strategies that facilitate their contribution to the 90-90-90-HIV target. While the implementation of these strategies has been enhanced by the presence of policy, the findings also indicate that four DICs do not have an HIV policy or rollout strategy. The study recommends that DICs have a policy document to help streamline the implementation of strategies in a more structured manner. The study also recommends that DSD support the sustainability of structured programmes introduced by USAID-funded organisations in DICs