Globe and Mail Profiles Clinic Established by Dignitas, Malawi Government That Provides Antiretroviral Treatment
Toronto's Globe and Mail on Wednesday profiled the Tisungane Clinic in Malawi's Zomba Central Hospital, which aims to provide antiretroviral treatment to HIV-positive people in the country and "stop, or at least slow, the relentless series of deaths." The clinic, which is a $770,000 partnership between the Malawi government and the Canadian international aid organization Dignitas International, began providing antiretroviral treatment one year ago. Currently, 750 HIV-positive people receive treatment through the clinic, and 50 more people begin therapy each month. Canadian and locally hired health care workers staff the clinic, whose name means "coming together to help another." Dignitas CEO James Fraser said the group wanted to establish the clinic in Zomba because it is the poorest area in the country and has the highest HIV prevalence. "They said if we could do it here, we can do it anywhere," he said. Researchers from the University of Toronto and St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto are evaluating the program in order to share their lessons with other groups or clinics around Malawi and elsewhere (Nolen, Globe and Mail, 10/26).
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