Assessment of the implementation of the treat-all guidelines (test and start) in Namibia

The Government of Namibia has adopted the World Health Organization’s Test and Start guidelines as national policy, effective from April 2017. As health facilities in Namibia begin operationalizing the test and start policy, there are many unanswered questions about its broader effects—not only on client-level treatment outcomes, but also on the health system, including human and financial resources.

This brief describes SOAR’s evaluation of the national rollout of Namibia’s “treat-all” guidelines (commonly referred to as test and start) and the decentralization of antiretroviral services. Specific outcomes being assessed client treatment outcomes, quality of antiretroviral services, and treatment costs.