UWC Students learn their HIV Status
2 April 2010
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A new partnership between TB/HIV Care Association, the University of the Western Cape’s HIV & AIDS Programme and Campus Health Centre got off to a dazzling start when 1440 people were tested for HIV and screened for TB and STIs during a four-day testing drive at the beginning of March.
The UWC students’ fantastic response to the offer of HIV testing was a result of the intensive marketing done by UWC’s HIV & AIDS Peer Education Programme, and it also suggests that the call by the National Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, for 15 million South Africans to be tested for HIV by the end of June 2011, may be well-timed and sorely needed.
Although TB/HIV Care Association’s voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) teams tested on average 360 people a day for the four-day period, they functioned like a well-oiled machine with UWC’s Campus Health Centre and UWC HIV & AIDS peer educators, to take care of more than 3 times the usual average number of people they are used to testing per day! |
TB/HIV Care Association Professional Nurse Counsellor, Denise Farmer, who supervised the activities of the TB/HIV Care Association VCT team, was very happy with the experience and the fact that so many young people and students now know their status. She commented, “The best part was the amount of people that we tested. Normally we test about 100 people in a day so if you test 1440 in 4 days, you know you’ve had a good event.”
She attributes the success of the event to good organisation, “There were no hiccups. Now that our TB/HIV Care VCT team has been up and running for 2 years, everything is in place and on track.”
The success of the event as a whole however, was due to the partnership between the Campus Health Centre, the UWC peer educators and TB/HIV Care Association. With the experience of many HIV testing drives under their belt, UWC’s HIV & AIDS Programme and Campus Health have learnt how to attract and test large numbers of people efficiently, and how to work smoothly with partner NGOs.
Due to the success of this VCT campaign, the teamwork between TB/HIV Care Association and UWC will continue, and the respective teams are already planning their next UWC testing event for the end of July. Each of the partners was made stronger through their collaboration and achieved far more than they could have by working alone. The March University of the Western Cape VCT drive is a testament to the power of partnership!
Source:
TB/HIV Care Association, tel: 021 425 0050, www.tbhivcare.org, info@tbhivcare.org
“New AIDS Treatment policy: Health Minister Assesses Readiness.” Ministry of Health Press Release. 16 March 2010. www.doh.gov.za/mediaroom/index
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