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PERU :: AIDS Treatment Starts in Poor Suburbs of Lima, Peru Médecins Sans Frontières has launched an HIV/AIDS treatment project in Villa El Salvador, a poor suburb on the southern side of Lima with a population of 350,000. The project will offer comprehensive care to 300 people and aims at providing an alternative model for fighting AIDS in Peru. Though the prevalence of HIV is relatively low in the country – 0.3 per cent according to official figures – it is sharply concentrated in the capital city. Cedric Martin, the Head of Mission for Médecins Sans Frontières says, “everything points at an explosive situation. AIDS is likely to become a big problem over the next ten years. By piloting a model for simplified and decentralised treatment, we can assure free access to treatment for the poorest and alleviate the load the health authorities have to deal with.”
The project was launched with a modest ceremony on Monday 23rd August. People gathered in the waiting area in a tent erected within an L-shaped container construction, that serves as the clinic in the compound of the Centro Materno Infantil San José, and listened to speeches by the Director of the Health District and the Head of Mission for Médecins Sans Frontières. More significantly, 15 patients received their first anti-retroviral medication. In addition to comprehensive treatment, which includes treatment of opportunistic diseases, the medical aid organisation is developing a number of complementary activities. There is the option of home-based care, for those who cannot come to the clinic for whatever reason. A range of technical support activities guarantees the smooth running of the treatment; they include laboratory activities and waste management. The patients receive not only medical but also social and psychological support. They can get free and rapid testing close to their homes. Médecins Sans Frontières is also creating a range of tools for informing patients and their caretakers of what is needed for successful AIDS care and treatmnent, a consider able challenge given the high level of illiteracy in Villa El Salvador. Months of preparation and negotiation preceded the launch. “It was a very emotional occasion,” says Dr John MacRae, a volunteer doctor working for the humanitarian organisation. “For years we have seen our patients die around us. Of the group of two years ago, almost nobody is left. Now, finally, we can give them hope that they can continue their lives in relative health.” Negotiations with the National AIDS Program, have been strengthened by Médecins Sans Frontières’ experience in fighting the disease in other parts of the world, resulting in this opportunity to start a comprehensive AIDS project which differs from the centralised ‘dots’ (directly observed treatments) national protocols. As Cedric Martin explains, “We will use simplified drug regimes that make it easier for patients to stick to their course and provide free care for opportunistic infections. We will implement much simpler, and cheaper, methods for testing and analysis. Through our decentralised approach we will be better able to follow how patients are doing, not only medically but also socially, and trace defaulters. And we will continue our fight for reducing the price of HIV-related medicines and making inexpensive medications available in Peru.” Médecins Sans Frontières will work closely with a multi-disciplinary
team from the Ministry of Health in the Centro Materno Infantil San José
who will benefit from the experiences in the new project.
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