The Rajasthan Society for Promotion of Rational Use of Drugs (RSPRUD), Jaipur, is conducting a one week international training course on anti-revtroviral (ARV) and related supplies management in low source settings at Jaipur to provide insight on improving the HIV/AIDS drugs management programmes.

The course, to be conducted from April 4 to 10, 2010, aims to promote rational ARV therapy and adherence, access to ARV supplies and develop strategies for scaling- up of the current programme, to expose the participants towards modern ARV drugs management techniques and to train the participants in the use of tools in resource poor situations, according to the RSPRUD sources.

The programme will support the participants in identifying and tracking HIV infection and AIDS, rational use of ARV drugs and adherence to therapy will serve as a guide for quantifying ARV drugs, for quantifying HIV tests, assessing supply chain management and HIV/AIDS service delivery programs and global financing mechanisms.

The course is designed to provide insight for policy makers, management staff from Ministries of Health, ARV programme managers, Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) officials responsible for national and local programmes, development aid agencies, physicians, pharmacists, social scientists, and health professionals.

Even amidst the easy accessibility of ARV drugs and diagnostics in the country, the reach of these facilities in low resource settings in developing countries are poor. A rapid scale-up of AIDS treatment programmes has not occurred due to improper management of ARV drugs and the barriers to ARV adherence.

Identifying the need of a management system to improve management of ARV drugs, the society is conducting the course based on modules developed by experienced agencies, inform experts in RSPRUD. Nirmal Gurbani, head of public health Institute, Jaipur, is the course coordinator. The last date for the receipt of applications is February 28, 2010.