Mulago Hospital is Uganda’s largest teaching, referral, and research hospital.  Over 600, 000 patients are seen and roughly 27,000 babies are born here every year.  Established in 1988 as a weekly outpatient clinic providing care and support to children with AIDS, PIDC now sees almost 5,000 clients each month. 

Due to the high volume of children coming to the hospital, satellite branches have been opened, allowing people to be treated closer to their homes and decongesting the main facility.  PIDC works with other facilities throughout Uganda to teach proper care for children with HIV and AIDS. 

Services offered at PIDC include a comprehensive family clinic, HIV testing and counselling, ARV treatment and monitoring, support groups, nutritional assistance, and HIV prevention and education programs.

St. Mary’s Mission Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya

St. Mary’s was founded in 2000 and has since become the busiest hospital in Kenya.  Located in the slums of Nairobi, St. Mary’s is an oasis of healing in the midst of extreme hardship.  People of all religions, tribes, and economic backgrounds come here to be treated, knowing they will receive good care. 

An average of 250-300 new HIV+ patients are seen monthly at St. Mary’s, with 80% of them needing ARVs immediately.  The Hospital’s maternity ward is also extremely busy.  St. Mary’s delivers between 800-900 babies each month; roughly 10% of these infants are born to HIV+ mothers.  With such a high infection rate, voluntary testing and prevention of mother-to-child-transmission programs are critical priorities.

St. Mary’s offers a full complement of HIV /AIDS related programs and services, including onsite voluntary HIV testing and counselling, support groups, prevention of mother-to-child-transmission programs, ARV treatment and support, and treatment of opportunistic infections.

Archdiocese of Mombasa Community Based Heath Care and AIDS Relief Project, Mombasa, Kenya

The Archdiocese of Mombasa Community Based Heath Care and AIDS Relief Project began in 1996.  Care provided onsite by paid medical staff is complemented by the work of over 350 trained volunteers who visit patients in their homes.  All visits are made on foot and the volunteers receive no compensation for their work.

Approximately 5000 HIV+ persons are being treated by the Project, 1000 of whom are receiving ARVs.  Roughly 20 new HIV+ referrals a week are seen.

Besides testing patients, treating opportunistic diseases, and managing ARV treatment, the Project recently introduced the “Kid’s Club”, a monthly peer support group for HIV+ children under 14.  While their caregivers attend a support group of their own, the children are given an opportunity to socialize while learning about how to accept their HIV status, adhere properly to their medicines, and disclose their status to others.

St. Joseph Shelter of Hope Centre, Voi, Kenya

Located outside of Voi between 7 and 10 new cases of HIV/AIDS are seen per month at this centre, the only site in the area where a person can be tested for HIV through the Africa-wide Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) program. 

The Centre cares for 300 orphans, conducts community-wide HIV prevention programs, and holds seminars for the community to talk about the care of HIV+ people, HIV prevention, and the stigma associated with being HIV+.  They also train caregivers on how to dispense medication to children, conduct support groups, and visit those who cannot come to the center or hospital for medication due to debilitating illness.

St. Mary’s-Rift Valley Mission Hospital, Lake Elementita, Kenya

Located on land that lies between Lake Elementita and the highway that connects Kenya with Uganda, the hospital opened in late 2007 and is expected to become one of the busiest in the country, serving up to 2000 outpatients and 320 inpatients daily.

Because most programs providing care for people with HIV / AIDS focus exclusively on the bigger cities, there are a large number of people living in the area around St. Mary’s – Rift Valley who, up until now, have not had access ARV treatment.

This treatment gap is even larger when it comes to pediatric AIDS cases, so the PAC sponsored program which provides ARVs to children is in high demand. Educating expectant mothers about the importance of knowing their HIV status and preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission is also a critical priority.

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