« Building a stronger home for Charles and James | Main | I love Uganda »
August 02, 2006
More ARVs at TASO Mbale
Sunset Mbale.
2 August 2006 Today, TASO Mbale began the process of offering ARVs to clients again. It's been nearly a year since TASO Mbale filled the 1000 ARV slots, but they've been given 500 more to fill between 1 August 2006 and 1 March 2007 (this includes both adult and pediatric clients). After TASO Mbale reaches the ceiling number, clients are referred to other NGOs or government hospitals for ARVs, but TASO Mbale has the most slots (some regional hospitals have ARVs for 50 people). It's not enough. It took too long to bring ARVs to Uganda and other African countries, way too long. There were issues of intellectual property (pharmaceutical companies slow to relinquish patents for generic manufacture of ARVs) and reservations about the usefulness and cost-effectiveness of distributing ARVs in resource-poor regions. Twenty-five years into the epidemic and the worst hit region in the world is still struggling to provide treatment to millions of people infected with HIV, and prevent mother-to-child transmission. Here's a good article by Paul Farmer about ARVs in resource-poor countries: Download file
_______________________________________________________________________
In the Children's Clinic...
Dr. Sylvia and Hanania waiting at the TASO Mbale pharmacy for his ARVs.
"I thought I was here to give drugs, not handle all this...I thought it was gonna be a good day," sighed one of the doctors, Dr. Sylvia, as she tried to grasp the horrible things Hanania just told her. Hanania missed his last appointment for ARV refills and hasn't taken his meds in three weeks. He said that he gets headaches when he's hungry. His guardians, grandparents and other relatives, usually prepare CSB (corn-soya blend food aid) for meals. He is severly malnourished. He weighs only 29 kg, and he is 17 years old. He looks like he's 10. His lives up on the mountain near Kapchorwa and getting money for transport is a problem. I suggested to the doctor and the counselor, Charity, that we involve Hanania in the poultry project. Hanania smiled at the idea, but then told us about the time he was rearing rabbits and his grandparents slaughtered and ate them, without asking or paying. It's likely that they'd kill and eat the birds, too. The land is fertile near the mountain; Dr. Sylvia says his guardians are lazy. They depend on Hanania's food aid (USAID Title II program - administered by ACDI/VOCA), which officially ends in September. Dr. Sylvia and Charity were visibly overwhelmed – how can they help these children when the guardians are perpetuating the problems. Another child, John, also deals with stigma, discrimination, and neglect at home. He lives with his uncle's family. All of his cousins go to school and he stays home to clean and work, despite his physical condition. Charity is working on getting him back in school; her biggest barrier...the uncle.
Hanania got his ARVs, money for transport, and some extra money that we told him to hide from his guardians. Hopefully, he'll make it back to TASO Mbale for his refill and checkup. I'll try to visit him before I leave.
Hanania and me.
___________________________________________________________________________
GOOD NEWS!
I'm happy to report that Meghan McEwen, Loretta Bowlby, and my sister, Emily Pavlick, have motivated people they know to support the reconstruction of Charles and James' home and the TASO Mbale Smallholder Poultry Project for Vulnerable Children...Thank You! I also want to extend my gratitude to all the people that supported me and made this experience in Uganda possible...Thank You!
___________________________________________________________________________
It's not too late to make donations to Camp Sunrise (ATGC) - Cleveland, Ohio. Review the previous blog entries (27 July and 31 July) for an updated list of what they need and Camp Sunrise contact info.
Posted by kmf23 at August 2, 2006 07:32 AM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://blog.case.edu/kellio/mt-tb.cgi/9141