The Global Fund financed programmes have complemented services delivered by the national programme by providing essential HIV services for key populations for years.

Crucially, all finance for HIV self-testing and PrEP, for outreach in national grant districts, and for virtual interventions to create demand for those services is provided by the Global Fund. If Sri Lanka transitions from Global Fund support, these interventions must be integrated into the government budget. The economic crisis and eventual transition from Global Fund support mean that the financial sustainability of Sri Lanka’s HIV services for key populations is precarious.

Therefore, Financial Sustainability is a key objective under SKPA-2, addressing barriers and required regulatory and legal changes to facilitate the sustainable public financing of HIV and related health services for key populations in Sri Lanka.

A pre-commencement meeting to form a Technical Working Group (TWG) on Financial Sustainability for HIV Services for Key Populations was organised by the SKPA-2 project.

During this meeting, the objectives and functions of the Financial Sustainability Technical Working Group were discussed, and the participants present from the National STD and AIDS Control Program (NSACP) and MoH nominated suitable members for the TWG, including representatives from both the government and private sector. The participants also offered input towards the ‘Allocation Efficiency Roadmap’ led by Dr. Kumari. Additionally, the group engaged in brainstorming sessions to identify areas for reprioritising the Financial Sustainability Roadmap and implementing Domestic Funding Mechanisms that were developed by the Domestic Funding Mechanism Consultant, Sathiesh Kumar.