ICEHA in the News

International HIV/AIDS Experts Deploying to South Africa to Combat HIV Epidemic With Local HIV Health Workers

South Africa - 14 June 2007 - In South Africa over 5.5 million people live with HIV/AIDS while an estimated 1.2 million children have lost one or both of their parents to the AIDS epidemic. At the moment, less than 30% of patients who need AIDS medicines are receiving them, and each day nearly 900 people die of AIDS. The International Center for Equal Healthcare Access (ICEHA) is responding to this crisis by deploying teams of HIV/AIDS experts to provide hands-on, practical training to local South African healthcare staff. Over the course of the program, 300 clinics and more than 2,000 local healthcare providers will be trained with tens of thousands of patients benefiting as a result.

ICEHA (ICEHA.org) recruits HIV/AIDS experts from around the world to volunteer their time by mentoring health staff in developing countries being torn apart by the AIDS epidemic. ICEHA has partnered with Family Health International (FHI) and Project Support Association South Africa (PSA SA) to bring clinical mentor volunteers to South Africa. The first pilot team consisted of Dr. Phillip Read, a physician from London, and Mr. Brian O’Donnell, a physician assistant from Massachusetts. Together they spent 6 weeks in a mobile clinic serving rural areas of Limpopo and Mpmalanga provinces, coaching local colleagues on how to provide the best HIV care possible within the existing limited resources.

“Our first days in the mobile clinic have been great,” reported Dr. Read. “The local staff are extremely dedicated and hard-working, scarcely pausing to drink from arrival in the morning until the last patient leaves at night. They are very open and receptive to suggestion and discussion about the running of the clinic.”

Dr. Marie Charles, ICEHA’s Chair and CEO, has worked on some of the toughest global AIDS issues. She started her organization at a time when the attention of the world was merely focused on drug costs and dollar amounts as the solution to the AIDS epidemic, ignoring the vast lack of healthcare delivery systems. “Our job is to give developing countries access to medical expertise, one of the most invaluable, yet under-utilized, resources available in the west.” says Dr, Charles. “This means that countries will not have to rely indefinitely on donor help, but instead can effectively run their own health systems and provide care to millions of HIV patients in need.”

By the end of their 6 week assignment in South Africa, Dr. Read and Brian O’Donnell saw a noticeable difference in how HIV care was being provided. “The mobile clinic provides a much needed addition to a very limited health care system,” reflected Brian. “It will significantly enhance the lives of the people in these areas through education and health services, specifically HIV testing and counseling. The people that we have met in this community are amazing and it has been very hard for us to leave.”

Notes for Editors
The International Center for Equal Healthcare Access

ICEHA is an international not-for-profit organization that engages healthcare professionals to rapidly transfer their expertise on HIV care and infectious diseases to colleagues in developing countries, using an innovative method of clinical mentoring. Unlike other organizations, ICEHA volunteer clinical mentors do not provide patient care directly. Instead, they equip local caregivers with the skills needed to take care of their own patients. As a result, thousands of patients receive HIV care when none existed before, care delivered by their own healthcare providers, within existing resource limitations.

ICEHA’s signature clinical mentoring programs started with a small pilot program in Cambodia which scaled rapidly based on immediate impact. Within 6 months, Vietnam requested ICEHA’s assistance, followed by Lesotho, Kiribati, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Nepal, South Africa, the Seychelles, and Burundi with additional countries under negotiations in the months to come. For more information, visit iceha.org or email Dr. Marie Charles at [email protected].