Download - Aga Khan University

p r o f i l ethe Centre to those who are livingwith HIV.We have established providerinitiatedtesting and counselling,where every patient can be easilytested or, at the very least, weensure that we have a discussionon HIV and related lifestyleaspects with every patient whocomes to us. Additionally, we havealso developed a good rapportwith government institutions andgovernment chemists in Mariakani.How do you think your AKUeducation helped you in all thatyou have achieved so far?AKU taught me critical thinkingskills. I have a passion to ignitechange in my communityand AKU helped me link myeducation and skills with serviceto the community.What about your work for theKenyan army’s HIV programme?I have been in the Kenya DefenceForces (KDF) for over 14 yearsand have been coordinating theKDF HIV Programme for the lastthree. The programme focuses onprevention, care and treatment ofHIV. It is a programme anchoredby the Ministry of Health inpartnership with the Walter ReedArmy Institute of Research.As a coordinator, I have beenable to influence policy in theKDF HIV programme, especiallyin training in different programmeareas. I strongly advocated forlocalised institutional/barrackbased training as opposed to theexternal training model previouslyused, which was very expensiveas participants would have to beaccommodated in a hotel. Myadvocacy for such training enabledthe institution to save funds, whichwent toward training more healthworkers and therefore enhancing thequality of care.Under this strategy wehave managed to train over 400healthcare workers across thecountry in areas such as theprevention of mother-to-childtransmission of HIV and providerinitiatedtesting and counselling. Asa result, we are seeing an upsurge inHIV testing and counselling uptakein the KDF.What is your vision for the futureof nursing in East Africa?Nursing in East Africa is changing,and the Bachelor of Science inNursing degree is making a realdifference. AKU has contributedimmensely in making a positivechange. AKU alumni are at theforefront, having made significantcontributions to healthcare policyand serving as influencers intheir areas of work like the abovementioned training strategy forthe barracks based training that Ideveloped and implemented. •Mercy Kabangi,Strategic CommunicationsDelivering Care at the Primary LevelTitus MusauDuring the interview with John Mwazighe Mnjalla, a couplearrived at the clinic with their two-year-old son for a follow-upvisit. Their young child had recently been attacked by a swarmof bees and had been treated by John.“I had left my son in my neighbour’s care, and when Iheard his screams I rushed over,” the mother narrated. Theboy was covered with bees and the mother and the neighboursdesperately tried to brush them off. However, by the time thefather arrived, the child was beginning to lose consciousness,and so they immediately rushed him to John’s clinic.“When I saw the boy, I knew we had to act quickly ashe had become limp and we were in danger of losing him,possibly in a matter of minutes,” said John. He immediatelyadministered the treatment and, luckily, the boy began torespond.“The intervention saved his life,” recalls the boy’s mother.“Were it not for the quick action taken at the MariakaniClinic and the diligence and expertise of the team, I would notwant to imagine what would have happened,” she concludedwith a grateful smile. •7