Right to Care Zambia

Right to Care was registered as a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) in Zambia in 2016. We are focused on strengthening and achieving UNAIDS’ 95-95-95 targets.

USAID is the lead funding agency, and our consortium partners are:

Right to Care Zambia supports the Zambian Ministry of Health by providing Technical Assistance and Direct Service Delivery programs.

Our goal is to create strengthened health care systems in these three provinces – Luapula, Muchinga and Northern, through sustainable and integrated interventions.

Our operations are based in Lusaka.

We have a decentralised technical team which operates at district hubs to provide support, supervision, technical assistance and roving teams. These teams are supported by a Regional Team based in Kasama Town.
We currently work in three provinces – Luapula, Muchinga and Northern.
To improve responsiveness and maximise impact, Right to Care Zambia has:
  • established four district hubs in each province which means our expertise and technical support is close to health facilities and communities and
  • set up a regional daily situation room which serves as an early warning indicator to direct technical assistance and resource allocation quickly.

Towards HIV epidemic control in Zambia

To control the HIV epidemic in Zambia, we focus on:

01. providing biomedical prevention packages of care to those at risk

02. ensuring early identification of new infections

03. prioritising early initiation of highly effective treatment regimens

04. retaining those on treatment in care, where:

    • 95% of HIV positive individuals know their HIV status,
    • 95% of those who tested positive are initiated on antiretroviral treatment (ART) and
    • 95% of those on ART are virally suppressed

To strengthen our work, Right to Care Zambia also focuses on building Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) capacity at facility, district, hub and provincial levels.

Primary prevention methods

To expand Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) services, Right to Care Zambia has trained providers in facilities and adopted demand creation strategies that reach men in communities.

Our elimination of Mother to Child Transmission (eMTCT) programme seeks to ensure all women presenting for antenatal care are tested and those found to be HIV positive initiated on ART.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been targeted at key and priority populations at risk of HIV. We also trained providers in PrEP.

HIV testing services and HIV self-testing are helping more people to know their HIV status.

Cervical cancer screening, training staff to screen for cervical cancer and the provision of early treatment to help reduce cervical cancer in women.

Towards UNAIDS’ 95-95-95 targets

The first 95

Included in our efforts to ensure that 95% people know their HIV status, Right to Care Zambia focuses on:

  • targeted case finding,
  • index case testing, and
  • the use of mobile technology such as Lynx Community Testing App for testing and GeoSpatial mapping of high yield areas and communities

The second 95

In our efforts to ensure that HIV positive people in Zambia receive sustained antiretroviral treatment (ART), we focus on:

  • linking HIV patients to treatment and care,
  • tracking and tracing patients who have been lost to follow up,
  • Up-scaling DDD(differentiated drug delivery) such as
    • multi-month scripting and dispensing (MMSD) for a six month period;
    • establishing community medicine pickup points, and
    • supporting the CDU(Centralised Dispensing Unit) in Ndola, Copperbelt, which provides centralised dispensing services to patients. The CDU programme can dispense some 1.2-million repeat scripts per year. Its focus is on decongesting health facilities in Zambia.

The third 95

To achieve viral load suppression in 95% of patient on ART, we have:

  • increased viral load testing capacity in laboratories,
  • expanded the use of e-LABS,
  • implementing an early warning/alert system for patients with high viral loads,
  • introduced a viral load sample collection and courier system and
  • increased TB preventative treatment in patients with HIV.

Our healthcare interventions in Zambia


Nutrition Assessment Counselling and Support

The Nutrition Assessment Counselling and Support (NACS) programme offers nutritional support and counselling to 90% of people living with HIV in the supported provinces


Centralised Dispensing Unit

We also have a Centralised Dispensing Unit (CDU) programme, which provides centralised dispensing services to patients. The CDU programme can dispense 1.2-million repeat scripts per year. Its focus is on decongesting over-burdened health facilities.


eLABS

Right to Care Zambia’s eLABS project has been a highlight in Zambia. eLABS is a mobile health (m-Health) application that allows users to have a ‘bird’s eye’ view of the Viral Load (VL) value chain from facility through to laboratories.


Knowledge Centre

A Knowledge Centre is a cloud-based data management platform used to manage and access data. It powers daily situation rooms which allows healthcare workers at HQ, at Regional Office and at districts and at facilities to access data in real time and to quickly direct technical assistance and resource allocations appropriately and immediately.


Supporting Zambia’s GBV policy

Right to Care Zambia is committed to supporting the Zambian Ministry of Health’s Gender Based Violence (GBV) policy in order to:
  • address gaps in the response and care system,
  • identify HIV/AIDS vulnerability among women and adolescent girls,
  • provide medical services and counselling and
  • raise awareness of GBV in communities.


The scaling up early childhood development in Zambia

The scaling up early childhood development in Zambia (SUpErCDZ) project is funded by USAID Zambia and Grand Challenges Canada. Its focus is on community-based parenting groups using a theatre programme to speak to caregivers and their children. We want to establish the impact of parenting groups on key indicators for child growth and development with a view to expanding and scaling the project.


Our research

Together with Boston University, Right to Care Zambia has been involved in studies funded mainly by the National Institutes of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Our intention is to:
  • expand knowledge about child survival and respiratory disease in children and
  • explore the introduction of maternal vaccines to prevent disease in new-borns.

Right to Care Zambia Board

Professor Peter Mwaba the Board Chairperson well dressed in a suit and red tie, wearing glasses.
Right to Care Zambia Board Chairperson

Professor Peter Mwaba
A woman well dressed in a black dress with fabulous pearls.
NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE RIGHT TO CARE ZAMBIA BOARD. CEO at Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZANACO) PLC

Ms Mukwandi Chibesakunda
Non-Executive Director

Dr. Kawaye Kamanga
Executive director, group finance director

Nonhlanhla Nyewula
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, Managing Director of Right to Care International

Dr Eula Mothibi
Dr. Ben Chirwa the Country Director, well dressed in a black suit and red tie.
Country Director

Dr Benson Ujila Chirwa
Professor Peter Mwaba the Board Chairperson well dressed in a suit and red tie, wearing glasses.

Right to Care Zambia Board Chairperson

Professor Peter Mwaba

Dr Peter Mwaba is affiliated to the University of Zambia – University College London Medical School (UNZA-UCLMS) project. He has been part of UNZA-UCLMS since its inception. Under this project, he has been involved in several clinical trials, four of which have changed world policy. These studies have been on TB, TB-HIV, and respiratory infections that include: the C0-trimoxazole study, paediatric autopsy study, and ADAT study. He has also done studies in basic science to develop and evaluate a rapid diagnostic test for TB using urine.

Qualifications:BSC HB, MBCHB, MMED-Internal Medicine, FRCP, PhD

Additional:SANTHE Senior Researcher/Supervisor University Of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

A woman well dressed in a black dress with fabulous pearls.

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE RIGHT TO CARE ZAMBIA BOARD. CEO at Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZANACO) PLC

Ms Mukwandi Chibesakunda

Mrs Mukwandi Chibesakunda was appointed as the first female CEO at National Savings and Credit (NATSAVE) Bank in January 2018. She was also the first female president of the Zambia Institute of Banking and Finance and has wide experience in various financial service industry roles.

She started her career as a graduate associate in Standard Chartered Bank where she was promoted to management and director roles over a 15-year period.

She has held various executive roles at Stanbic Bank, Access Bank and the Bank of Zambia. She has also been a non-executive board member of the Zambia Revenue Authority, Vision Fund and The Global Fund country coordinating mechanism. She is currently board committee member of the Higher Education Loans and Scholarships Board, The Livestock Development Trust Board, the strategic committee of the Mulungushi conference centre and the CDC Africa list in Zambia.

Non-Executive Director

Dr. Kawaye Kamanga

Dr. Kawaye Kamanga is a leading public health and social development specialist. He is well known for his work in community, social and health planning and structural health systems reforms in a number of countries. He holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Zambia and a Master of Community Health from the University of Liverpool. He graduated with a Doctor of Public Health degree from the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, in 1985.

Since completing his studies, he has held numerous senior positions in teaching, public health programme management, policy and stakeholder relations. These include:

  • Chairman, Public Service Commission, Cabinet Office, Lusaka
  • Medical Officer, World Health Organisation (WHO)
  • WHO/ADB Health Specialist in the Republic of the Gambia
  • Head of Department for Community Medicine at the University of Zambia
  • Consultant Advisor to the Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Lesotho
  • Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Zambia and
  • Director, Department of Health, Housing and Social Services, Kitwe City Council, Zambia (1985 – 1986).

Dr. Kamanga has undertaken several consultancies in African countries, working for organisations that include:

  • Harmonising Partners Support to Reproductive Health in Kenya
  • Columbia University, International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs in the  Kingdom of Lesotho
  • The Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, Republic of Botswana
  • The Zambia’s government when he helped develop the Zambia National Health Strategic Plan (2006 – 2010) and
  • HLPS Ltd, Starz Programme in Zambia. 

He has published several papers and sat on several boards and committees of public and academic organisations. These include Zambia’s National Provident Fund, the Tropical Diseases Research Centre, the Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia, the Zambian Food and Drug Board, and the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia.

Dr. Kamanga is a member of the Zambian Medical Association, the American Public Health Association  and the National Council for International Health.

Executive director, group finance director

Nonhlanhla Nyewula

Nonhlanhla Nyewula joined Right to Care in August 2017 and is responsible for Right to Care’s financial strategy and performance and its risk management strategy.  

She has a wealth of financial experience and considerable business acumen. Her experience crosses a range of sectors and covers start-ups and mature organizations. 

She is a former chief financial officer of Kalagadi Manganese (Pty) Ltd, a black, woman-owned manganese mining company, and Mhlathuze Water Board. Ms Nyewula has also worked at IBM, Deloitte and Unilever.

She also holds a mining tax certificate (UNISA).

Qualifications:BSc (UKZN), BComm (Hons)(UKZN), CA (SA), Mining Tax Certificate (UNISA), Certified Director (IoDSA)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, Managing Director of Right to Care International

Dr Eula Mothibi

Eula Mothibi joined Right to Care as Executive Director of Right to Care International and a member of the Right to Care board in 2020. She has some 27 years of executive and technical experience with interdisciplinary knowledge of clinical internal medicine and public health systems.

Dr Mothibi has made an impact in the areas of HIV, TB and prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT). 

Her leadership skills are evident in her ability to extend her knowledge to key areas of HIV medicine, public health systems and services. This knowledge has benefitted health systems across several African countries. Previously, Dr Mothibi was the chief operations Officer at Kheth’Impilo AIDS Free Living in the Western Cape.

Qualifications:MD: Medicine and Surgery, FCP: Internal Medicine, Dip HIV Man, Certificate in Public Management

Dr. Ben Chirwa the Country Director, well dressed in a black suit and red tie.

Country Director

Dr Benson Ujila Chirwa

Dr Benson Ujila Chirwa (M. B. Ch. B (1981) University of Zambia, MPH (1987) University of Ibadan)

Deputy Chief of Party, Right to Care Zambia

Dr Benson Ujila Chirwa has made significant contributions to the health sector in the Southern African Development Community, notably in Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Before joining Right to Care Zambia, he was previously Country Director of the Kethimpilo External Quality Improvement Programme (EQUIP) in Zimbabwe. He also served as Senior Medical Superintendent at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka and was Technical Adviser for the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr Chirwa was a member of the team that initiated health reforms in Zambia. As Director General of the National HIV/AIDS/STI/TB Council, he operationalized the National AIDS Council Act of 2000 by putting in place a structure that delivered on the mandate of the Council. He also demonstrated leadership of the national AIDS response by coordinating stakeholders including political leadership, cooperating partners, civil society organizations and people living with AIDS. Under his leadership at Right to Care Zambia, he consistently achieved targets from 2018 to 2020 as part of the goal to reach HIV epidemic control. This can be attributed to targeted HIV testing through PITC, index trailing, exposed infants, partner notification services, as well as reaching key populations through moonlighting. He also played a key role in reducing new infections by scaling up PrEP, VMMC and condom promotion. He has published in several peer reviewed journals.

 

Right to Care Zambia Success Stories

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A husband’s perception on parenting groups

View video: A husband’s perception on parenting groups

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Zambia’s Covid-19 health response boosted by real-time data dashboard

Healthcare managers and technical teams working on the ground in Zambia have moved away from manual excel spreadsheets and are using a new Zambia Covid-19 dashboard to access live information about Covid-19 in districts and provinces across the country. With real-time data at their fingertips, they are ensuring that responses to the pandemic are quick…

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Decentralized healthcare improves adherence and empowers communities

Through Right to Care, USAID provides antiretrovirals (ARVs) to nearly 17,000 clients within the Copperbelt region of Zambia. Due to this endeavor by USAID, HIV patients who are adhering to their daily regimen are able to live full lives and plan for the future. The implementation of a community dispensing unit (CDU) infrastructure and the…

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Email : info@righttocare.org
Phone : +27 (0) 11 276-8850