The Vice President of Kenya, Dr Moody Awori, has urged the nationwide adoption of a home-based care model co-developed with the UK Christian HIV and AIDS charity Mildmay Mission Hospital.

The appeal follows years of close partnership between Mildmay and the Kenyan Ministry of Health which worked together to form the Nyanza Model of Home-Based Care for HIV and AIDS sufferers in Kenya.

The Nyanza Model's success has now convinced the government that the whole country - which has a total of 1.3 million HIV and AIDS sufferers - would benefit from adopting this 'best practice' model.

A national workshop in Nairobi recently brought together Kenyan and Ugandan government officials, donor agencies, senior health professionals and NGOs to explore the current HIV and AIDS care strategy.

Vice President Dr Awori said at the time, "The Nyanza model has pioneered and demonstrated a community-led approach to home-based care, empowering people living with HIV and AIDS and helping to challenge the stigma and discrimination still faced by many.

"The government of Kenya encourages this collaborative approach that involves capacity-building, and funding to similar projects in other provinces, using the Nyanza model as the template of a national rollout."

The development of the Nyanza model has also included the creation of a home-based care kit, a new patient-held record system to improve referrals and follow-up, and a 'quality of life' assessment.

Dr Veronica Moss, Mildmay's chief executive/chief medical officer, says: "We're absolutely delighted that the Kenyan government has taken the home-based care model on board. This approach, linked to antiretroviral therapy, is definitely the way forward in scaling up HIV and AIDS care in this country.

"Wider adoption of this model will make a tremendous difference to their quality of life. It means better access to treatment and higher standards of care."

Mildmay has been strengthening health systems in the Kenyan province of Nyanza since 1998 and has run certificated HIV and AIDS training (including a groundbreaking Degree) for Ministry of Health and NGO staff and mobilised communities to provide vital follow-up care.