HIV Care and Treatment

Our clinical HIV care and treatment services include HIV testing and counselling, anti-retroviral therapy provision, management of treatment failure (including provision of 2nd and 3rd line drugs), Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).

We offer HIV counseling and testing services as well as index tracing. . When a patient is tested, our trained social workers make sure they have a full understanding of HIV/AIDS, what their outcome means, and how they should move forward to live a healthier life.

ART is the cornerstone of HIV treatment, and Baylor-Lesotho provides life-saving therapy to children of all ages. Monitoring of treatment success and potential medication side effects is provided on a scheduled basis.  Baylor-Lesotho clinicians are local experts in pediatric ART care and often consult on complicated patients receiving care at other facilities.  Baylor-Lesotho also provides 2nd-line and 3rd-line treatment options for those who have failed therapy, in consultation with the Ministry of Health ART Advisory Committee.

Consistent adherence to ART is essential for treatment success and prevention of unnecessary morbidity and mortality. Following the initiation of ART, patients receive thorough adherence counseling to prepare them for their treatment regimens. Baylor-Lesotho always has a social worker on duty for ongoing adherence counseling and psychosocial support based on referrals from our health professionals.

HIV can be an overwhelming diagnosis for children and family members alike. Baylor-Lesotho has full-time treatment literacy staff to support our patients and their caregivers in understanding how to take their medications. They also help parents gradually disclose their children’s HIV status to them as they grow and become better able to understand their diagnosis and treatment. Visual aids comparing CD4 cells to soldiers keeping them healthy are used to help children understand why their medication is important.

 Baylor-Lesotho also has full-time psychological staff to consult patients presenting with mental health problems or concerns. Some common referrals are related to depression, learning disabilities and behavior problems. Children who have been victims of sexual abuse are often referred for counseling from nearby facilities as few facilities have full-time psychologists.

Baylor-Lesotho believes in holistic HIV treatment which cares for the whole person. This necessitates programs which address the psychosocial needs of our child and adult patients. Currently we run three major psychosocial support programs for various types of patients: