Outputs and cost of HIV prevention programmes for truck drivers in AP

[Guest guest]

Outputs and cost of HIV prevention programmes for truck drivers in Andhra

Pradesh, India

SG Prem Kumar , Rakhi Dandona , A Schneider , Yk Ramesh and Lalit

Dandona

BMC Health Services Research 2009, 9:82doi:10.1186/1472-6963-9-82

Published: 21 May 2009

Background

HIV prevention programmes for truck drivers form part of the HIV control

efforts, but systematic data on the outputs and cost of providing such services

in India are not readily available for further planning and use of resources.

Methods

Detailed cost and output data were collected from written records and interviews

for 2005-2006 fiscal year using standardized methods at six sampled HIV

prevention programmes for truck drivers in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

The total economic cost for these programmes was computed and the relation of

unit cost of services per truck driver with programme scale was assessed using

regression analysis.

Results

A total of 120,436 truck drivers were provided services by the six programmes of

which 55.9% were long distance truck drivers. The annual economic cost of

providing services to a truck driver varied between programmes from US$ 1.52 to

4.56 (mean US$ 2.49).

There was an inverse relation between unit economic cost of serving a truck

driver and scale of the programme (R2 = 0.63; p = 0.061). The variation between

programmes in the average number of contacts made by the programme staff with

truck drivers was 1.3 times versus 5.8 times for contacts by peer educators.

Only 1.7% of the truck drivers were referred by the programmes for counseling

and HIV testing.

Conclusion

These data provide information for further planning of HIV prevention programmes

for truck drivers and estimating the resources needed for such programmes. The

findings suggest the need to strengthen the role of peer educators and increase

referral of truck drivers for HIV testing.

[A pdf copy of the article is available from the editor, AIDS INDIA e FORUM]