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The Baylor AIDS Peadiatric hospital
extends its services by establishing satellite clinics in
all districts in Lesotho to offer AIDS treatment among
children. The hospital Chief Executive Officer Dr. Qentso
Edith Mohapi said two satellite clinics are already
completed in Qacha’s nek and Leribe districts.
Briefing the Global Fund international
journalists-mission during their visit in Lesotho to cover
PMTCT issues on September 2010, Dr Mohapi said at the moment
the paediatric AIDS treatment services are only offered at
Queen Elizabeth II and Baylor hospitals only.
 
Caption: Dr. Mohapi
explains to the bloggers Baylor AIDS peadiatric hospital
services. On the right guardians bring children to Baylor
hospital for regular check-ups including those that are born
free from HIV.
“All the services are offered with the
assistance of the 10 paediatric doctors that arrived in the
country in August 2006 from Paediatric AIDS Corps in United
States. We also recruited local doctors to assist paediatric
team,” she said.
The Objective of the Baylor is to offer
care and treatment of children with HIV, to train local
doctors and mentor them on PMTCT as well as to conduct
operational research on HIV/AIDS and children.
Upon arrival in August 2006, the 10
paediatric doctors started treating HIV pregnant mothers to
prevent Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) at Baylor
hospital and latter the doctors were deployed to other
districts hospitals and clinics to train and mentor local
health workers at antenatal clinics and ART centers on PMTCT
where women were tested and treated on HIV. So far more than
70 health facilities are trained and are currently
rolling-out PMTCT services in the country.
The Government of Lesotho rolled-out
Antiretroviral treatment for HIV adults in 2004. At this
time no HIV tests or treatment were done for children and as
a result most of HIV positive children were dying before
they reach the age of 2 years.
This hospital was therefore established
on 1st December 2005 with the assistance of
Baylor College of Medicine in USA. The objective is to offer
technical support to ministry of health especially on PMTCT
related issues.
All children who come to this hospital
are screened for HIV in order to know their status. If the
child is positive, the whole family is asked to test for HIV
including parents and siblings in order to get free help.
To encourage fathers to support PMTCT,
the hospital formed a support group of fathers who live
openly with HIV. The HIV negative fathers also joined the
group to combat the disease.
Compared to 2005, at the moment children
born from HIV positive mothers are free from the virus and
able to grow above five years and beyond. The children who
are born HIV positive are enrolled on life time
Antiretroviral treatment.
The Baylor hospital receives laboratory
and pharmaceutical assistance from the Government of
Lesotho. Meanwhile through Global Fund grants the Ministry
of Health benefits from ARV drugs, human resource,
laboratory equipment and consumables, as well as furniture
and medical equipment. |
