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Duration:4min 46 sec

Transcript

DR ALAN KARSTAERDT:   ‘€¦This is the reception area, which has to seat a hundred-and-twenty people sometimes. So, there’€™s obviously an overflow into the corridor, which is alright in summer, but is problematic in rainy weather and in winter. There is a TV set, which people can watch, but it’€™s rather uncomfortable. We do provide meals on the clinic days, so that at least people who have to sit here for many hours are catered for in that way’€¦

KHOPOTSO: Ha re le ka kantorong ya hae e phetang e sebetsa jwalo ka phaphosi ya ho lekola bakudi, ngaka Karstaerdt o ile a tswela pele ho ntlhalosetsa ka tleniki.

DR ALAN KARSTAERDT: We established this clinic in 1989 and it’€™s been running ever since’€¦ We see people who come here, we don’€™t book people, but that may well have to change with the roll-out of antiretroviral treatment. So, whoever comes on a particular day will be seen that day’€¦

KHOPOTSO: Ebe ke batho ba ba kae ba seng ba hlokometswe mona ka mora dilemo tsena?

DR ALAN KARSTAERDT:   We stopped counting because it was of no great value. In the last year about 4 000 people passed through our clinic ‘€“ 4 000 patient contacts, which included a thousand new patients.    

KHOPOTSO: Ngaka Karstaedt o dumela hore palo ya bakudi e tla ata hang tshebeletso ya meriana ya Phamokathe e bulwa la 1 Mmesa.

DR ALAN KARSTAERDT: I’€™m sure that there’€™s going to be a huge rush’€¦ In other places like Botswana the initial booking periods were up to three or even six months and the problem with that is people may get sick in that time. So, what we need to do is try and have a system that allows us to manage people correctly, while not postponing their visits to initiate treatment for too long. And that’€™s going to be a huge challenge because not only will we be treating people who’€™ve been clients at this clinic but we’€™re expecting people from within the hospital, from the clinics, and many patients are being sent by General Practitioners as well.

KHOPOTSO: Jwalo ka ha tshebeletso ena e eso ka e dumellwa dipetleleng le ditleniking tsa mmuso, tsebo ka meriana ena ha e se e tiileng.

Empa dilemong tse mmala tse sa tswa feta tleniki ena ya Phamokathe sepetleng sa Chris Hani Baragwanath e se e qadile ho thusa batho kgonang ho reka meriana. Le ha tsebo ena e le e nyenyane e tla hlaha sepetlele thuso.

DR KARSTAERDT: We initially started in clinical trials in 1996. We have several hundred people on antiretroviral treatment at the moment. The majority of them are people who’€™ve been able to afford to buy the treatment themselves now that the prices have decreased, either using their disability grants, or with help from family members or friends’€¦ Obviously, the big challenge for us now is to be able to take these relatively small numbers whom we’€™ve been able to treat with success and translate that into thousands of people each year, where we will know them less well, where the doctor-patient, and nurse-patient, and counsellor-patient relationships may not be as strong as they have been where we manage much fewer people.    

KHOPOTSO: Na ekaba ke batho ba ba kae ba tlang ho fumantshwa meriana ena ka la 1 April?

DR ALAN KARSTAERDT: When we were asked initially we said that we thought we could manage 50 new patients a week, comfortably, in the adult clinic, and paediatrics said around 12 a week. We’€™ve been told that the hospital’€™s been allocated a hundred patients a week. More of them will be coming into adult medicine. We will be getting more staff that I know of already in April and May, but the question is what extra staff we’€™ll be getting on the 01st of April’€¦ The issues are going to be seeing people who’€™ve never been seen at the clinic before.        

KHOPOTSO: Ebe ke eng se tla etsahala ka la letsatsi leo la ho qala, ebe batho ba tla fumantshwa meriana ka ona mohla oo?

DR ALAN KARSTAERDT: Within the register that’€™s being run at the clinic we’€™ve now got well over 200 people whose names are there, who’€™ve had their safety blood, CD 4 counts and viral load done, and who’€™ve expressed an interest in treatment. So, we’€™ll be calling them in from the 01st of April according to the numbers that are allocated. And that first day will be spent explaining the treatment to them. And we think that by calling them back fairly soon and by the amount of education they’€™ve had before and together with pamphlets that we’€™ll be able to put the required number of people on to treatment each of those days. It does require that those of us who work in the general medical units will be freed from those kinds of duties. That hasn’€™t been done yet. But we need a lot of dedicated people sitting day in and day out in this clinic ready to put people on to treatment, to see new referrals and to prepare them for treatment because the turn-around times are going to be very quick if we’€™re given those numbers of 80 ‘€“ 100 a week.    

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