Discoverers PDF Print E-mail

ImageThe Ekhaya Lethu HIV clinic is situated in the “Discoverer’s Community Health Centre”, Discoverers area. The centre was once a hospital, known as the “Roodepoort Hospital” which was established in 1921s.
Right to Care’s has been providing support to the clinic since September 2007.
Right to Care, working in partnership with the local government, provides assistance mainly in the form of staff resources. Through Right to Care’s involvement the clinic receives a complement of two counsellors, trained in PMTCT and TB; a medical doctor, a professional nurse, a data capturer, phlebotomist and admin clerk.
The clinic has a total of 1847 patients currently on treatment. The government guidelines state that one doctor is to be available for every 500 patients on treatment. With 2421 of total patients enrolled on the programme, and only two doctors available, adhering to these guidelines is impossible.
Right to Care offers number of training courses available to both Right to Care and government employed doctors, nurses, and counsellors. Doctor’s training and internship programmes exists in the main site, Helen Joseph Hospital, Themba Lethu wing, where doctors can make clinic rounds on Friday’s. 
The clinic’s next challenge will be to start their down referral programme, where stable patients are referred to a smaller clinic closer to their homes staffed with PHCN nurse and a counsellor. The down-referral clinic will be equipped to do the necessary check-ups and dispense the patients ARV-medication.