The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) of Uganda

This case traces the development of The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) from 2001 to 2006. One of the first organizations to become involved in HIV/AIDS in the late 1980s, TASO, a Ugandan non-governmental organization, began as a meeting place for people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, helping people to live positively. The organization provided free counseling, social support, limited medical care, community mobilizing, advocacy, and networking. TASO worked alongside government facilities and trained government medical personnel in HIV counseling. After many years, TASO got a new director who brought management skills, a commitment to professionalizing the organization, and a drive to expand services. TASO began incorporating antiretroviral therapy (ART) into its offerings. The ART delivery model combined home and clinic-based care in order to maximize patient adherence. The case follows the development of the organization and scale up of services, and raises the question of how to deliver care most cost-effectively while maintaining its values and meeting the changing needs of the population and clients.

Learning Objectives: Students should learn how a healthcare delivery organization can expand and evolve over time in response to changes in external context and the needs of its clients; how public and private organizations can coordinate to meet the varied needs of a population; and the importance of leadership, management, and strategic vision in creating successful global health programs.

The Global Health Delivery (GHD) Project, an interdisciplinary collaboration between Harvard Business School, Harvard Medical School, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, investigates the management decisions behind disease treatment and prevention globally. The Global Health Delivery (GHD) Case Collection is a set of teaching case studies that are available for all at no cost online through Harvard Business Publishing, GHDonline, and The Case Centre.