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Clinic excels in HIV/AIDS treatment
Patrick Leeman. 08 July 2004. The Mercury. Republished courtesy of Independent Newspapers (Pty) Ltd.
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The Ithemba Clinic at St Mary?’s Hospital in Mariannhill has achieved an exceptionally high compliance rate of 99.6% of patients who are on anti-retroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS. This has also been disclosed in a media statement from the South African Catholic Bishop?’s Conference.
Rigid adherence to treatment on a daily basis by people taking ARVs is regarded as essential in any roll-out programme. However, data from other parts of the world shows that adherence can sometimes drop as low as 60%.
The Patient Services Manager of St Mary?’s Hospital, Augusta Dorning, said the compliance rate had been achieved as a result of a comprehensive and dedicated training programme for patients awaiting anti-retroviral therapy.
She said this programme extended beyond the Ithemba Clinic to a network of dedicated and compassionate therapeutic counsellors. These counsellors, who were based in the community, provided 24-hour support for patients on ARVs, especially for the first three months when side effects were more common.
Dorning said that patients at the clinic were well-educated about the problems they would be facing and they also received support and advice.
The Catholic Bishop?’s Conference said that, after the government, the Catholic Church was the largest provider of treatment for people with HIV/AIDS. The church had a network of more than 140 service programmes where people living with HIV/AIDS were treated, the statement said. And seven centres were now providing ARVs to just under 300 patients.
The media release said that a total of 3000 patients would be receiving ARVs at 22 church-owned centres nationwide by February next year. The figure was expected to double to 6000 by 2006. |
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