When the OHAfrica team arrived at Tsepong in December 2004, there were only nine patients enrolled on ARVs and 116 patients registered at the clinic. By the end of December 2005, the Tsepong Clinic had enrolled 1,151 patients on ARV treatment and 3,649 HIV-positive clients were registered at the clinic.
The impact of the OHAfrica project and the work of the Tsepong Clinic is seen in the lives of individuals, in the atmosphere of the community, and in the growing support for programs assisting people living with HIV/AIDS in the region. Patients at Tsepong have a new sense of hope and optimism for their future. Since life-saving treatment became more readily available, more people are willing to be tested for HIV, and steps are being taken to help break the stigma and fear surrounding HIV/AIDS within the surrounding community and throughout Lesotho.
The primary goal of OHAfrica is to help Lesotho build a locally sustainable HIV/AIDS treatment program. This is a big challenge in a country where the healthcare system is overburdened and there is a shortage of medical professionals. In recent months, the OHAfrica team has been working with community-based primary care clinics in outlying areas to start the process of rolling out ARV treatment at the local level.
The first year of the OHAfrica project has been marked by many challenges, and ultimately many rewards. OHAfrica has brought together healthcare stakeholders from Ontario and Lesotho to address a health issue of global urgency.
The OHA staff marvels at the impact OHAfrica has made in such a short time. “We took a leap of faith, and we are all proud and grateful that our commitment has been met, through the significant efforts of so many people,” says Hilary Short, OHA president and CEO. TH
Homer is the manager for OHAfrica, The Change Foundation & the Ontario Hospital Association.
OHA is a voluntary organization representing approximately 157 public hospital corporations across 225 sites in Ontario. Founded in 1924 as an independent, non-profit organization, the OHA is the voice of Ontario’s hospitals. For more information about OHAfrica and how you can get involved, visit www.ohafrica.ca or call (416) 205-1463