Expanding ARV therapy

The opening of a new HIV/AIDS care clinic in northern Botswana has helped extend the reach of the government's national treatment and prevention programme. The Infectious Diseases Care Clinic at Maun General Hospital was officially handed over to the government last week by the African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnership (ACHAP), as part of its support to Botswana's antiretroviral (ARV) drug programme. ACHAP is a public-private partnership backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates, and drug company Merck, foundations. "Last November, the government asked ACHAP to assist with the construction of four infectious diseases care clinics and sixteen satellite clinic extensions, to be ready by the end of 2003. I am happy to report that we are on track," ACHAP team leader Dr Donald Korte said. "We also hope that this extension will increase the existing capacity ... [of] this clinic ... in acting as a referral facility between voluntary counselling and testing centres, such as Tebelopele, and four ARV administrative sites," he added. Tebelopele is an NGO providing voluntary HIV counselling and testing to augment the government's efforts. The Maun clinic is also expected to play a key regional role in supporting the government's prevention of mother-to-child transmission programmes, provided through the public health service. "The expanded clinic will ... extend the government's capacity to reach out to those infected and affected across northwestern Botswana. This infectious disease care clinic already accomodates referrals from five primary hospitals in Kasane, Gweta, Gumare, Rakops - and thus forms an important centre for effectively dealing with treatment and care," Korte said. ACHAP is also organising a national condom distribtution and marketing campaign to augment prevention steps, a national teacher capacity building programme to turn classrooms into interactive learning centres, and a small grants project to ensure grassroots ideas on fighting HIV/AIDS are captured and, if feasible, supported. "Maun is currently providing treatment for over 450 patients. This new building will enable Maun to do even more, and enable the site to provide services in a comfortable and appropriate environment," said Mathius Chakalisa, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health. "The world is finally taking note of Botswana's [ARV] programme, and the country is now recognised as a global leader in provision of ARV therapy in resource-constrained settings," Chakalisa noted. Botswana has the world's highest HIV infection rate, but the fastest growing treatment programme. The Princess Marina Hospital in the capital, Gaborone, is currently the largest single provider of ARV therapy in Africa, with over 4,500 patients receiving antiretrovirals.