The following blog post was written on the evening of 7th July. Due to technological restrictions it was posted at a later date.
While at the July 5th party a member of our group (Emily M) met a women from the U.S. who is working at the Baylor Children’s Clinical Centre of Excellence, which is a clinic that was created through a partnership between Baylor Medical Center in Houston, TX, Bristol-Myer-Squibb (excuse the lack of spelling, I am typing without internet now and posting at a later time), and the government of Lesotho. UNICEF has been involved in a project the clinic is now working on to get medical services to people who live higher in the mountains and too far to travel to Maseru.
The Clinic, which is a beautiful building, was established as a pediatric facility that concentrates on HIV/AIDS. All patients can receive care at no cost and the clinic sees and average of 100 patients every day. The funding for the ARV’s used to treat HIV come from the government of Lesotho, which as partnered with the Clinton Foundation (President Clinton is highly revered in Lesotho). In addition to medication, the caregivers of the children (usually grandparents, neighbors, or older siblings) are taught about the importance of good nutrition and provided information about protecting themselves from transmission.
Most of the doctors have applied through Baylor Medical Schools following their residencies, although they are required to participate in a month long training in Houston to learn more about treating pediatric HIV. American doctors also receive a percent of medical school loan forgiveness for every year they are here. Although the initial commitment is for one year, several doctors have added years to their stay in Lesotho.
The waiting room had a shockingly large number of people waiting, some many that children were sitting on the floor and some stayed outside. It was also surprising how few men there were…of the 150 or so people in the waiting room I saw two men. The doctors emphasized the large gender gap that exists for seeking care and we have heard mentioned by other speakers.
The clinic seems to be a great facility and one the people of Lesotho are thankful for. I worry about changes in international policy that may influence funding, as the free aspect of the clinic is of extreme importance for many of the impoverished people living in Lesotho.
While at the July 5th party a member of our group (Emily M) met a women from the U.S. who is working at the Baylor Children’s Clinical Centre of Excellence, which is a clinic that was created through a partnership between Baylor Medical Center in Houston, TX, Bristol-Myer-Squibb (excuse the lack of spelling, I am typing without internet now and posting at a later time), and the government of Lesotho. UNICEF has been involved in a project the clinic is now working on to get medical services to people who live higher in the mountains and too far to travel to Maseru.
The Clinic, which is a beautiful building, was established as a pediatric facility that concentrates on HIV/AIDS. All patients can receive care at no cost and the clinic sees and average of 100 patients every day. The funding for the ARV’s used to treat HIV come from the government of Lesotho, which as partnered with the Clinton Foundation (President Clinton is highly revered in Lesotho). In addition to medication, the caregivers of the children (usually grandparents, neighbors, or older siblings) are taught about the importance of good nutrition and provided information about protecting themselves from transmission.
Most of the doctors have applied through Baylor Medical Schools following their residencies, although they are required to participate in a month long training in Houston to learn more about treating pediatric HIV. American doctors also receive a percent of medical school loan forgiveness for every year they are here. Although the initial commitment is for one year, several doctors have added years to their stay in Lesotho.
The waiting room had a shockingly large number of people waiting, some many that children were sitting on the floor and some stayed outside. It was also surprising how few men there were…of the 150 or so people in the waiting room I saw two men. The doctors emphasized the large gender gap that exists for seeking care and we have heard mentioned by other speakers.
The clinic seems to be a great facility and one the people of Lesotho are thankful for. I worry about changes in international policy that may influence funding, as the free aspect of the clinic is of extreme importance for many of the impoverished people living in Lesotho.
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