Duration: 4min 57 sec

Transcript

KHOPOTSO: Baoki ba a phethesela diphasetjheng tsa sepetlele sa profense sa Polokwane. Ditumediso ha di feele ha ba ntse ba theosa ba nyolosa jwalo. Re tatetse ho eya fihla laeboraring ya sepetlele moo re lebelletseng ho fumana sebaka se thotseng ho ka kgona ho buisana le ngaka Nokuzola Ntshona. Ha ba mo reneketsa bakudi ba hae ba mmitsa ka hore ke Zola kapa Mzolisto. Hang ha re fumana sebaka se phodileng ngaka Ntshona, a dilemo tse mashome a mahlano le metso e mmedi, o ile a qala ho re phetela ka tsa mosebetsi wa hae lefapheng la tsa bophelo ba bomme sepetleleng sa Polokwane. O hopola hore ka le leng la matsatsi o tla sebedisa kodu ya hae e tenya jwalo ka ya monna ho bina mmino wa Jazz.

DR ZOLA NTSHONA: We do voluntary counselling and testing’€¦ I find many of my patients here – more than I care to admit, actually – get the counselling. Whether they are listening or not listening, they get it’€¦ There’€™s a code that they use on the clinic card. I see by looking on the front of it that she has received counselling. This is a patient who, because she’€™s in a high-risk clinic, she’€™s got other diseases. She’€™s not going to either deliver normally, she’€™s got pregnancy induced high-blood pressure or she’€™s got gestational diabetes or she’€™s got both’€¦ I find they will all say they’€™ve had counselling. If you don’€™t ask ‘€˜have you consented to be tested,’€™ you’€™ll never know. But when I do ask, one just said it this week, and she and I have been fighting for four weeks now, can you please get the testing? She said ‘€˜I’€™ve had the counselling.’€™ I said I need the test. She said ‘€˜Dr, man I’€™ve got so many problems in my head. My boyfriend is cheating on me. I’€™m diabetic.’€™ I said you look ill to me. Your blood sugar is extremely high, obviously your immune system is out and I need evidence that it is. Then we can help to protect the baby.

KHOPOTSO: Na ebe lebaka ke lefe hore ba se batle ho tekena dipampiri tsa ho etsa teko ya kokwana hloko?

DR ZOLA NTSHONA: They say they’€™ve heard about this disease. The disease they haven’€™t heard about here is cervical cancer, which is almost endemic in South Africa. But HIV and AIDS? They’€™ve heard about it.

KHOPOTSO: Le ha bongata bo tseba ka kokwana hloko ena le ka Phamokathe hoo ha ho bolele hore batho ba tla nka mehato ho ka itshereletsa hore ba se e fumane. Profenseng ya Limpopo, e nang le baahi ba ka ballwang ho dimilione tse batlang di eba tshelela, ngaka Ntshona o re o kgathatsehile hore batho ba fumanwang ba ena le tshwaetso ya HIV lefapheng la tsa bophelo ba tsa bomme sepetleleng sa Polokwane ba ballwa diperesenteng tse ka ebang mashome a mane ho ya fihla ho tse mashome a mahlano. O re bothata ha se ba bomme feela, empa ke bothata bo bonahalang hare ho setjhaba ho akaretsa. Ke ile ka mmotsa hore jwalo ka ngaka, na a ka kgona ho hlohleletsa bakudi hore ba fetole boitshwaro ba bona.

DR ZOLA NTSHONA: Well, I’€™m a Roman Catholic. I’€™ve decided to go and address the ZCC Church in this region because our people are Christians. The Roman Catholic Church, which is my church, says something funny about condoms’€¦ they don’€™t protect against HIV/AIDS. But, in this you have to practice in the language of the people and their culture. When I was in Mozambique, we heard of a bishop, in fact his son came to address us, who blesses condoms every month in his church. The Catholic Church ought to be doing that, I think, for this deadly disease. But who am I to say?      

KHOPOTSO: Ngaka Ntshona o re ha ho karolo ya setjhaba e ka kgonang ho lwantsha sewa sa lefu lena e le nngwe too ka monwana.

DR ZOLA NTSHONA: The Ministry of Health needs a lot of help, because it will help our patients and our doctors.

KHOPOTSO: Ebe ke eng eo ba ka e etsang betetshana?

DR ZOLA NTSHONA: Bring the antiretrovirals yesterday, not next month or next year.

KHOPOTSO: Lefapha la tsa bophelo bo botle le tshepisetse hore profense ya Limpopo ke e nngwe ya tse hlano tse tla hlomamisang lenaneo la phumantsho ya meriana ya Phamokathe ka mora hore profense ya Gauteng e etse jwalo ka la 1 Mmesa. Empa ebe ditshebelletso tsa tsa bophelo bo botle Limpopo di se di itokiseditse mosebetsi ona?

DR ZOLA NTSHONA: Certainly, certainly’€¦ Resistance is caused mostly by the fact that people drop out of   treatment because they are too expensive and not available. If we are able to start the treatment and let the patient continue the treatment resistance would be minimised’€¦ They are worried about the side-effects. But what can you do? If you’€™ve got an ulcer, like I have, I don’€™t take aspirin. I take Panado. There are different cocktails that we can make up, depending on the type of the virus and the toxicity of the drugs to you’€¦ That’€™s a comfort level we cannot yet talk about even because we’€™re not even there yet. Let them come. Let us see Regimen 1, Regimen 2, Regimen 3. There are three regimens’€¦ Let’€™s do that and then deal with the side-effects. We know what they are. But the drugs need to be here.

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