Sunday Times
12 February 2006
Kigali — AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is collaborating with the Ministry of Health and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) to provide life-saving anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in two new free Aids treatment clinics in Rwanda.
A bulletin posted on PRNewswire website cites the beneficiary clinics as Kagugu Health Centre in Gasabo District of Kigali City, and Nyakigezi Health Centre in the Health district of Nyabihu, Northern Province. It further says AHF, the largest US-based Aids organization which also operates such clinics in the US, Africa, Central America and Asia, has already signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with the two partners to provide Aids medical care and ART, as well as give technical assistance.
"I am very pleased to announce that we treated our first patients -- and begun anti-retroviral treatment -- in Rwanda at the Nyakigezi Health Centre," Bernard Okongo, MD, Africa Bureau Chief for AHF who is based in Uganda, is quoted as saying. "We are pleased to join together with the Rwanda Ministry of Health, the Global Fund and the two health centres in this life-saving collaboration, and are honoured to be able to bring Aids treatment and care to those in need."
Michael Weinstein, President of AHF, said the partnership brings together many "respected stakeholders with expertise and clinical, public health and management skills that are essential for any successful HIV treatment program". While Henry E. Chang, Chief of AHF's Global programs, stated his optimism that the collaboration would be "successful and to the benefit of the people most in need".
The AHF program in Rwanda is managed and coordinated by Ms. Rose Gahire, the Country Program Manager.
According to the statistics quoted in the report, the Kagugu Health Centre serves a population of 15,766 people. AHF's treatment goals for 2006 for the facility are to bring 310 adults and 20 children onto ART. The existing Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) and PMTCT programs operating in the health centre have already tested 535 patients, with an additional 100-300 patients expected to be treated annually. Forty-seven tested positive and most are in need of ART. In addition, patients from adjacent areas may seek treatment there.
The Nyakigezi Health Centre serves 14,185 people. The existing VCT and Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT) programs operating in this health centre have already tested 1,950 clients, of whom 219 were positive, and most are in need of ART.
Previously, to access ART, patients were referred and had to travel over 20 kilometers to Nemba or Shyira health centres and others to the referral hospital in Ruhengeri. The 2006 target for the Nyakigezi site is 500 adults and 40 children on ART.
The foundation's strategy is to provide support and technical assistance to ensure the highest quality of care to patients at the two facilities, adds the bulletin. This includes the training and capacitating of local groups to provide adherence support and counselling, a key to the success of all of AHF's global ART delivery programs. "AHF will work in close cooperation with the Global Fund, the Ministry of Health, and the Treatment and Research AIDS Centre (TRAC)."
Approximately 250,000 Rwandans are thought to be living with HIV/Aids. Of these, just over 18,000 are currently receiving ART, with nearly 40,000 in urgent need of the life-saving treatment.
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