Psychosocial support beyond just medicines

ACCEPTING that one has Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acute Immunodeficiency Virus (HIVAIDS) is difficult, thus many would rather sink into denial that seek out treatment. This is why treatment hubs like Davao City's Reproductive Health and Wellness Center offer psychoso-

cial support as well to ensure that those who need treatment get it as soon as possible.

This psychosocial support involves learning group sessions wherein selected persons share their struggles and triumphs to their fellow HIV patients.

Dave, a counsel from the RHWC said that this is a monthly activity where they also ask patients about their concerns in taking medicines.

“We have learning group sessions monthly, where the patients ask each other’s opinion. It is where their issues about their treatment are raised and apart from that participants can get lessons from another who is also undergoing treatment that they can also apply to their own selves,” Dave said.

Aside from the treatment aspect these learning group sessions also provide life hacks to those participants in how they divulge their situations to their families.

The RHWC is currently providing Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) to more than 200 patients, but according to Dave, some prefer not to join the sessions as attendance to this a personal choice.

RHWC Center head, Dr. Jordana Ramiterre said that some would prefer to deal with their treatment alone and that they respect every person's choice.

“We want engagement and personal coping but we cannot be so insistent because it their own personal choice,” she said.

Undergoing anti-retroviral treatment means that one takes one 3-in-1 single dose tablet per day. There will be side effects at the start, but this would wane over time, Ramiterre said.

The World Health Organization defines Antiretroviral therapy (ART) as a treatment of people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) using anti-HIV drugs. The standard treatment consists of a combination of at least three drugs (often called “highly active antiretroviral therapy” or HAART) that suppress HIV replication. Three drugs are used in order to reduce the likelihood of the virus developing resistance. ART has the potential both to reduce mortality and morbidity rates among HIV-infected people, and to improve their quality of life.

Ramiterre said that at the RHWC, they check the response of treatment per patient through repeat of laboratory test after six months of treatment. In this way, they can check the CD4 count of the patient.

Ramiterre said that a high percentage of those who availed the test do not really immediately avail or access treatment.

“Around 90% ang nagpapa-test, pero hindi aabot sa 90% ang nagpapa-treat, people decide to come later,” she said.

She said that while their advocacy for early testing is proving a success, to encourage those who test positive to undergo treatment is a challenge.

Ramiterre said some patients usually come back

only after two to three months after getting their results.

Dave bared that part of their task as counselor is to monitor and maintain the patient’s consistency in getting the Anti-retroviral drugs; they also reach out to those who test positive.

He said that they usually contact the patients, to continuously access treatment and they do that also through the help of peer educators who are have undergone training to conduct community-based testing. (For full story visit www. sunstar.com.ph/davao/)