In October 2023, FES – Foundation for Social Education published the PrEP for Women campaign and related information for doctors. FES produced these materials to raise awareness of PrEP among women and doctors of various specialties in Poland. EATG’s SCOPE project funded the production of these materials.
We talked with Agnieszka Świderska from FES.
What is the overall situation with PrEP in Poland?
Poland is one of the countries in Europe that does not have a PrEP reimbursement system. Poles have to pay for it out of their own pockets. Generic PrEP costs around €60 for 30 tablets. PrEP and STI checks are technically free, but doctors are also not very friendly when it comes to prescribing PrEP, so people using PrEP often visit private clinics, which costs between €50 and €80 per visit. Due to the high price of PrEP, some people cannot afford it and often order it online, thus remaining outside the appropriate healthcare continuum. This results in missed opportunities for HIV and STI testing, PrEP monitoring, and kidney and bone function assessments.
Why was it necessary/needed to have the material translation?
In Poland, few women know about the existence of PrEP, and doctors with specialties other than infectious diseases are afraid to prescribe PrEP. Poland is a multicultural country. Especially in large cities, you can see people of different nationalities. We would like every person who needs it to know what access to PrEP is like in Poland.
What were the outcomes of the activity and how did you disseminate the information? To whom have you reached out?
Our materials on PrEP were distributed to all HIV testing sites in Poland and NGOs. The materials are also available for free download on our website: https://www.fes.edu.pl/uk/materialy-do-pobrania
You can find the materials on the side/bottom widget of this page.
In addition, all materials produced in the framework of SCOPE are available via EATG’s Training Academy Library
Agnieszka Świderska
Master of Public Health, Project Coordinator
EATG’s SCOPE project aims to strengthen the skills and knowledge of community health workers, advocates and researchers in the field of HIV combination prevention. It focuses on communities that are inadequately served by policies and programmes.
About the funding for the translation/production of a resource material
This SCOPE activity supported the funding of resource materials which:
- Conveyed relevant information regarding HIV combination prevention in simple, clear language at local level.
- Promoted necessary, objective, reliable and up-to-date combination prevention information that is scientifically accurate, patient-focused and user-friendly.
- Raised awareness on combination prevention tools or and/or approaches among most affected populations (e.g. transgender/gender diverse persons, people who inject drug, people who engage in chemsex, sex workers, migrant communities, women, men who have sex with men, and other groups).
The SCOPE project has been developed by the EATG and was made possible through a grant from ViiV Healthcare Europe Ltd.
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