The Timetable for Regional Expansion of Antiretroviral Therapy (TREAT) was the pioneer HIV project in Uganda implemented solely by JCRC with funding from PEPFAR through USAID. The largest HIV/AIDS project at that time the seven-year USD $69.4 million project run from December 2003 to September 2010 on a goal of providing universal, equitable, and high-quality ART services across Uganda.
TREAT sought to build health system capacity, establish ART centers in public and private health facilities, strengthen laboratory monitoring to ensure efficient ART logistics and train healthcare providers. TREAT emphasized quality assurance and the development of strong partnerships with key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health and regional and district hospitals and health facilities to ensure sustained provision of HIV/AIDS prevention, care services.
TREAT was pivotal in expanding ART services beyond urban areas, reaching some of Uganda’s most remote and underserved communities, including internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Gulu and Pader, the Batwa in Bwindi, fishing communities in Kalangala and Sesse Islands, and hard-to-reach regions like Kaabong, Kisoro, and Moyo. TREAT grew from four ART sites in 2003 to 52 sites and 25 outreach centers across the country by 2010 in addition to the seven JCRC Regional Centers of Excellence (Kakira, Mbale, Gulu, Fort Portal, Mubende, Mbarara, and Kabale), which worked in close collaboration with regional referral hospitals. Due to its success in scaling up ART services and improving health systems, USAID extended the program’s duration from 3 years to 7 years, ultimately benefiting over 100,000 people living with HIV/AIDS across Uganda.
TREAT’s most significant achievements include; improving the quality of life for HIV-positive individuals through reducing opportunistic infections, strengthening Uganda’s health infrastructure, introduction of advanced laboratory services, pioneering laboratory specimen referral system, and supporting the Ministry of Health’s Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) initiative to ensure that infants were born HIV-free. It also trained over 2,000 healthcare workers in ART management, psychosocial support and community involvement.
TREAT was pivotal in scaling-up home-based care, increasing adherence, reducing stigma through peer support groups, edutainment, and public awareness campaigns. Due to its impact, USAID developed follow-on projects such as THALAS and SUSTAIN to build on TREAT’s success and continue supporting Uganda’s HIV response.
