… the service (ART care services) should go to the community or to the people out there. For sure, it will be started in the health post. It will not be a problem too if ART is started in the private clinic but the government should support a budget since they are organizations for profit. History tells that it is possible. Initially, ART was prescribed by specialists and then by general practitioners in hospital, then by health officers and nurses in health centre. So why not by HEWs in the health post? (HWHo—06)
Let me tell you one case. One patient defaulted from ART care, and the nurses gave to trace the patient’s address to a HEW. She (the HEW) met him (defaulted patient) in a market and she said … “Hey, why don’t you attend your ART clinic?”. This is in a market where mass is gathered, and you can imagine how he feels ashamed and traumatized. Thus, there are people who don’t accept and trust those HEWs. (C—01)
ART in health post? Well, with this issue, one, we need to have a training. Second, 80% of our work is field work—we are in office only on Friday, once a week. So, people may not see us and default or likes may happen. The office arrangement does also not allow for ART drugs to store in a way it should be. Yeah … it needs a lot of resources. And the other is we are too busy—we are collecting taxes, organize microfinance, doing other non-health related activities. So, we couldn’t provide ART in health post. (C—03)
ART in private clinics is good. Because, there are rich people who don’t need to see public clinics so we can get those patients through private clinics. By the way, we are having a plan to start ART in one private clinic. I have told you that we start HIV testing in selective private clinics, and we propose three private clinics for this year. (Admin—01)
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