Last month, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) teamed up with the Lesotho Ministry of Health (MOH) to launch two mobile health care clinics that will provide HIV/AIDS and other health care services to residents in Lesotho’s rural communities. On July 11, EGPAF’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Brad Kiley joined representatives from the Lesotho MOH and other high-level government officials at a ceremony to celebrate the new mobile units and how they will improve access to health care services to people throughout the country. The clinics are made possible thanks to generous support from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Kiley noted that he is particularly proud of EGPAF’s success in Lesotho and is grateful for the kindness and support of the Government of Lesotho and the Ministry of Health. He also acknowledged and thanked USAID on behalf of the Foundation for its generous contributions to the key project of Strengthening Clinical Services in Lesotho.
Speaking at the same ceremony on behalf of the Health Minister, Principal Secretary to the Ministry of Health, Lefu Manyokole, said the mobile clinics come at the right time, when the Ministry is revitalizing primary health care and trying to strengthen the health system. He also commended the partnership and continued support EGPAF is giving to the Government of Lesotho.
He continued by emphasizing the MOH’s commitment to properly maintain and carefully coordinate the use of these mobile clinics so that they are effectively used for strengthening linkages and helping malnourished people in the region.
EGPAF will work with the MOH to provide integrated health services to patients in the remote areas of the mountainous districts of Thaba-Tseka and Mohale’s Hoek, where there is a high prevalence of HIV among pregnant women along with high rates of malnutrition among children and overall limited access to maternal, neonatal, and pediatric care. Each mobile clinic is equipped with two consulting rooms with collapsible examination couches, a metal stairway and emergency/wheelchair pathway, air conditioning, and built-in generators. Initially, services will include HIV/AIDS testing and treatment, prevention of the mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services, nutrition counseling, and other maternal and child health services.
These services are part of a larger effort by EGPAF and the Partnership for HIV-Free Survival (PHFS) and Nutrition Assessment Counseling Support (NACS) program to reduce malnutrition in the region, especially in HIV-positive women and children.
EGPAF has been active in promoting the use of mobile clinics throughout Africa. To learn more, click here.
To learn more about our work in Lesotho, click here.