Every Tuesday, we provide care service at our clinic for the people living with HIV virus. Just today we got about 50 patients. Our clinic is a rural health center in a small town. In a big hospital, you can see more than 50 patients every day.
Although medical care service is free in Zambia, some HIV patients don't go to the clinic. Some of them don't have enough money to go, some of them can't stick to the treatment. They have to take several kinds of medicine every day, not only once a day, but 2-3 times. And some medicine causes you to feel like vomiting, headache, or appetite loss.
Adherence to treatment is not easy. They have to keep a healthy life style. They're expected to quit smoking, drinking, and having sex without condoms. If I were an HIV patient, it would be hard. I want to enjoy some alcohol with meals and have sex without condoms with my spouse.
To continue adequate treatment, they need support, like family, friends, and people living within their community. But some patients don't want to disclose their status. They might be afraid of losing their family or friends.
There are "adherence supporters". They are volunteers in the community who help HIV patients stick to treatment. They call patients in case they don't show up at their appointment, and sometimes visit their place to counsel. Some of them are also HIV patients themselves.
HIV is not somebody else's problem here; everybody has possibility to be infected.
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