The Nakimpilo-Care for Life project has three main components: home-based care, a computer-based information and monitoring system for hospital staff called “BookWise HIV and AIDS Clinic Management System”; and Road to Recovery, a program that provides transport money to 100 HIV+ mothers so that they can reach the hospital’s ARV centre. Nakimpilo is in the process of training 5 rural men for Man to Man, an education program focused on HIV/AIDS-related gender issues targeted at men’s groups. Nakimpilo-Care for Life provides its services to a population of about 170,000.
This project is innovative in its approach to increasing the efficiency of rolling out ARVs to the community. The technology partner (Virtualpurple) and the hospital staff worked closely in developing a computer system that facilitates the hospital's ARV centre to streamline the delivery of HIV/AIDS treatment. Separate screens are available for Doctors/Clinicians, Counselors, Dieticians, Laboratories, Pharmacies, CD4 Clinics and Reporting staff showing only the information necessary to carry out the functions of each position. They are now working to allow for data to be captured at source by the home-based care workers.
The computer-based tracking system has proven to be effective in the following ways: electronic medical records are now kept for all patients attending the ARV Clinic, data management is more accurate, statistical reporting is now possible, and defaulters are tracked more effectively. The system has also been helpful in reducing waiting times at the hospital's ARV center by up to 4 hours per patient. The GJ Crookes Hospital now has more than 2000 people on ARVs with an average of 80 new patients per month. More than 500 people are assisted through home-based care. Patients are also assisted in applying for social welfare grants.
