Paediatric Care
HIV Care Services at McCord Hospital > Care and Treatment Services at Sinikithemba
Paediatric Care is a priority of the HEART programme and the number of children enrolled has escalated to the point where it now represents 11% of the total cohort on ART.
The main goal and objective is to have good integration with children’s ward, enrolling more children of the adults already on ART at Sinikithemba, a tiered and effective referral system with efficient bookings for patients, Support groups for teenagers and to have a Teen friendly clinic.
Paediatric Clinic
The current reality for children who are HIV positive in South Africa is restricted access to treatment and care. The general HIV anti-retroviral treatment programme has focused on getting adults onto treatment, with development of services and skills for treating children lagging behind. In this context, Sinikithemba has developed a set of services for children, taking into account their unique needs.
Sinikithemba has a family centered approach and offers holistic care. This means that Sinikithemba is unique for the following reasons:
- Antiretroviral treatment and care are available at the same place.
- Whole families are seen in the same place at the same time, usually by the same care givers as part of a joint consultation.
- Psychosocial support is offered in addition to clinical care (e.g. see playgroup below).
Services available:
- ARV Treatment: Learn how children enter the pediatric programme.
- Management of HIV in children not on ARVs (care and treatment).
- Psychosocial support, including playgroup for the children attending the clinic.
- Currently there are 606 (till Nov2008) children from age 0-14 on ARV treatment. Dr Holly France, the paediatrician who runs the pediatric clinical programme says that her drive is to get more children into health care that can revolutionize their lives.
Published in: HIV Care Services at McCord Hospital > Care and Treatment Services at Sinikithemba