Nqobile has passed grade 12 and is a professional health worker. When she could not get the job of an HIV/AIDS counsellor, she started doing voluntary work as a community health worker. Her partner is working but does not have a permanent job.
There is still a lot of stigma around HIV/AIDS in the community and families, rued Nqobile. There is more gender bias and stigma in women living with HIV in the communities here as patriarchy issues still exist. She was lucky to have a strong family support, which she thinks is so very important for people living HIV (PLHIV). Yet, when she goes out in the community talking about HIV, many of the PLHIV do not want to disclose their status, especially the women.
"We need to tell people that HIV is a chronic disease and not a death sentence. Being HIV positive is not the end of the world. My partner and I never have unprotected sex. We use the condom every time. Female condoms are available locally, but their uptake is very less," said Nqobile.
Nqobile confided that this conference has been a great learning experience for her and has reinforced her belief that she is going to live more than ever with the treatment her government is giving her. She was especially grateful to her doctor who had done a wonderful job. If he had not insisted she would not have begun on ART soon enough, which might have proved disastrous later on.
Nqobile's treating physician Dr Samele Madela, who was trained in Cuba, practises in Dundee in Umzinyathi district of Kwazulu Natal. He is very passionate about his noble profession. He firmly believes that doctors cannot separate themselves from the community they serve. One becomes a doctor not for one's own self, but for the benefit of the community.
He said, "It has been over five years since I started practicing as a doctor. According to me, a doctor obviously has to have good clinical skills, but our success is measured in terms of on how many people's face we can put a smile on. I always want to have a good relationship with my patients. That has been my approach from the beginning and that is how I have gained the confidence of my patients over the years. I do care how they look like when they come back after 6 months or 1 year and that is what makes me feel happy. I strongly believe that a bio-psycho-social approach is the most important approach when it comes to practicing medicine, because then you put into context everything that is linked to the patients, apart from their medical complaints."
While innovative approaches in healthcare delivery are essential to tackle the double-disease burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), existing platforms for HIV and TB detection, care and management can be leveraged effectively for NCD services to address populations' needs holistically. At the same time, effective counselling by a doctor can work wonders.
Shobha Shukla, CNS
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