One Friday morning, I poked my head into Dr. I's office. He was about to head out and asked if I wanted to join him. Once a week, the pediatricians take turns to round at the Baylor Pediatric HIV/AIDS Center near the hospital. Today was his, and I gladly came along.
Walking down the hill from the in-patient pediatric wards, we pass roomfuls of crying babies and mothers waiting outside for their children, hand-washing and drying bedsheets on the grass. Stepping over the crowd, we make our way to a open-air brick building with wood paneled accents. We enter a bustling lobby, and Dr. I greets the receptionist at the desk to the right. Wait, receptionist? I look again. Yes, there she was, smiling behind a flat screen monitor, typing appointments on the computer. This was not the Mulago I was used to. Behind them, families rested on polished wood benches while waiting for their appointments. On the left, the adults watched television while on the right, a teacher was leading the children in a game. I turn to Dr. I and smile. This was a slice of heaven on earth.
The Baylor Center is supported in part by Bristol Myers Squibb, and the benefits of corporate funding are very apparent. First and most important, all treatment and care are free. Each case begins with ample counseling and social work, which is unimaginable for any of the adult AIDS patients. The children's families must be deemed competent and responsible before any long-term drug therapy is given. Once the family is approved, the counselors try to increase adherence, which is tantamount. Each month there is a follow-up visit, in which an attending physician treats the patient in the privacy of an examination room! Truly simple comforts in the West, but a complete luxury in Africa.
Throughout the hospital, local art adorns the walls. Electronic medical records are being rolled out, and an entire upstairs floor houses administration and finance. I had never seen such officers in the rest of the hospital. They even feed the patients! Two times a day, the Center canteen distributes a food pack for each family. When they leave at the end of the day, there is a take-home gift which includes some food for the road and family members at home. As such, adherence is phenomenally high.
After seeing a few patients with Dr. I, I had to leave, but I felt relieved. Though outside the AIDS epidemic rages on, in here there was a bit of a respite. In the quiet, air-conditioned space, I could feel hope. Everything was going to be all right.
