Its been quite a long time since I’ve blogged …. and a lot has been going on here in Ecuador!
Over the past month I have been busy working on a proposal for the Peace Corps Partnership Program. This program gives volunteers the opportunity to fundraise for projects on the Peace Corps website. My proposal was accepted via my bosses in Ecuador and now I’m waiting to hear back from Peace Corps headquarters in Washington. I’m proposing to raise more than $1,700 to support the purchase of more than 900 HIV rapid tests. Starting in July – December 2011 I plan to start a medical brigade which will supply free HIV testing and counseling twice a week in three hospitals across Guayaquil. With the support of my counterpart organization, the Municipio de Guayaquil, I will have access to space to give one-on-one HIV education sessions and testing in three different sectors of Guayaquil. The rapid tests that I plan to order require only a small amount of blood and take less than 20 minutes for a test result.
I am already involved in a similar HIV testing project located in one of the northern barrios of Guayaquil called Monte Sianí. Partnering with two organizations (Hogar de Cristo and Fundación VIHDA) every Tuesday and the first Thursday of every month I have been working in small clinics doing HIV education sessions (pre and post counseling) and providing the HIV rapid test. I was approached by an American volunteer at Hogar de Cristo named Becky to help support her in this project and to train the next Hogar de Cristo volunteer who arrives in August. This project has been a great opportunity for me to continue to do pre and post counseling and to learn from Becky on how to give a rapid HIV test.
Me giving a pre-consejeria at Lomas de Florida in Monte Siani, Ecuador
Working in Monte Sianí with Becky has been really exciting work and I feel like I’m finally getting some projects off the ground. I’m crossing my fingers that I hear back from Peace Corps Washington this week so I can start fundraising for my new HIV rapid testing project.
Becky taking blood for the HIV rapid test
The biggest concern right now in my line of work is the huge scandal that Ecuador has with the Global Fund to Flight AIDS. Last week the Global Fund took away funding which supports the anti-retroviral (ARV) medication programs for HIV+ patients in the country. On 15th of March the Global Fund lowered Ecuador’s classification from status B1 to C due to the misuse of donations from the Global Fund. Patients have been waiting in line for medication for days at the Infectious Disease Hospital and day to day there is little or no medication to give to patients.
This morning and yesterday afternoon I waited in line for a patient named María Elena who is house-bound and cannot travel to the Infectious Disease Hospital to pick up her ARV meds. Yesterday and this morning the hospital ran out of meds and we have not been able to pick up ARVs for Maria Elena. In the Infectious Diseases Hospital they see 5,000 patients with HIV, 3,000 of which are in treatment with anti-retrovirals.
Waiting in line for ARV medication at El Hospital de Infectología in Guayaquil
This crisis is an even larger problem for patients who don’t live in the city of Guayaquil and have to travel a long distance to pick up their medications. Patients are going without medications for days, weeks…even months. Some hospitals only give out meds for 3 days and patients have to return to the hospital every three or five days to get their meds. As a result of lack of medications, these patients become resistant to their ARV medications and in order to continue taking ARV meds, they must change to a stronger medication. The majority of patients seeking attention at the Infectious Disease Hospital do not have the $150 to $400 dollars a month to pay for antiretroviral treatment.
ARV Medications at the Infectious Disease Hospital
On top of the ARV crisis, many maternity hospitals in the city of Guayaquil have run out of powered milk to disperse to mothers who are a part of their HIV+ programs. Due to their HIV+ status, mothers cannot breastfeed because they risk transmitting the virus to their babies. The mothers that are a part of these HIV+ programs rely on free powered milk from the hospitals to feed their babies. These hospitals no longer have the resources to support all of their HIV+ patients.
A Pregnant Woman Receiving ARV Meds at a Maternity Hospital in Guayaquil
So right now the whole public health system is really in the pits. It is a waiting game to see if the Ministry of Health gets their resources together to finds a solution to this crisis. The foundation’s leaders are demanding more commitment from the authorities and the Ministry of Health, for the 20,000 people who are living with HIV/AIDS in Ecuador.
Hospital de Infectología
amiga, you just write informatively and efficiently the information that i write crazily. i should just reference my readers to your blog to understand what all my ranting is about … ha