The Tsakani Clinic at Edenvale Hospital, in the northeastern suburbs of Johannesburg, is a government CCMT-accredited site supported by Right to Care.

The clinic is housed in a freestanding single-story building on the hospital grounds. The building was an empty shell before being renovated by Right to Care in 2006 and opened as a standalone HIV treatment facility.

Since opening, the clinic has initiated 1890 patients onto antiretroviral treatment (this figure includes those lost to follow-up). Currently, the clinic manages around 1200 to 1500 patient visits per month. Patients are referred from Edenvale Hospital and clinics in the area, although some come from as far as away as neighbouring countries.

In accordance with the government’s treatment protocols, patients are initiated when their CD4 counts drop below 200 or when they present with stage 4 HIV. Patients are given three adherence-counselling sessions. Antiretroviral triple therapy is used, as per government protocols (the drugs are supplied by government).

The clinic also treats mothers and has in a place a prevention of mother to child transmission programme. Mothers are tested during pregnancy, are given access to antiretroviral medicines, are managed to prevent transmission of HIV during delivery, and are follow up post delivery. They are advised on infant nutrition. Mothers of newborn infants are supplied with milk formula for six months, which is also funded by the government.

Right to Care funds a portion of the staff salaries. The staff compliment includes one doctor, six nurses, a dietician, and three lay counsellors.

The Right to Care team leader onsite is Dr Valerie Lekgala. Right to Care’s director overseeing government partnerships is Dr Thembi Xulu, who is based at the Right to Care head office at Helen Joseph Hospital.