Integrating HIV Services into Mobile Primary Health Care Clinics Transforms Rural Care in Zambia
December 2nd, 2024 | featured
Smiles all around as Emily (far right), Grace (centre in yellow) and their dedicated team bring essential services to the Mininga community. Credit: Bridget Siulanda for JSI
By Sarah Hatchard
Mininga, a remote area in Lufwanyama District, Zambia, is a flat, expansive, and quiet place, except during peak agricultural seasons. The community, comprising a few hundred residents, forms a close-knit farming neighborhood. As with many public services, health care is not readily accessible for the families living in Mininga. The nearest health facility is 30 kilometers away in Minshingashi — a roughly 14-hour round-trip on foot, and the journey can be challenging depending on seasonal conditions. The community works hard and prioritizing time and resources for lengthy and costly trips to the health facility is difficult.
Grace has lived in Mininga for just over a year with her husband Mastern and their eight children. Mastern, who is HIV positive, and Grace, who is HIV negative and on PrEP, face significant barriers in accessing care. “Our biggest problem is the distance and cost to access health care,” Grace explains. “Without the money to hire a bike or car to get to the nearest hospital, it’s not an option. If we can’t afford it, then our health suffers.” Grace also notes a lack of health information in Mininga: “People in our community don’t know enough about HIV and the options available to them. Lots of people take the medication for a short time and they don’t see an improvement, so they stop taking it. There is a real need for health education here.”
