Image
RTC story
Linkage to care officers like Gladys Mashiloane help HIV patients
Right To Care

Gladys Mashiloane is a linkage to care officer (LCO). She is part of a team of LCOs appointed by Right to Care, a leading South African health NGO, in its USAID-supported districts in South Africa. LCOs support patients who have missed clinic appointments and stopped taking their antiretroviral treatment (ART). LCOs like Gladys engage these patients and help get them back into care and onto their treatment.

Each LCO is placed in a health facility where there are high numbers of patients who don’t return for their appointments. Gladys explains, “I call them and encourage them to come back. I wear my special Mpilo apron so my back-to-care patients recognise me when they come to the facility. Mpilo means life. Then I introduce the patients to our clinician. I treat them with kindness, love and respect.”

Right to Care starts HIV-positive people on ART and its staff in facilities work hard to ensure they achieve viral suppression and lead productive lives. However, with so many more people on ART, more patients were defaulting on their treatment, with some becoming ill. Right to Care acted swiftly

The organisation’s deputy chief of party Dr Chuka Onaga, says, “Our LCOs began to trace clients who had missed appointments. This involves meticulous work - cross checking appointment books against patient files, contacting patients using calls and text messages, noting which phone numbers are no longer valid, and working with outreach and home-based care teams to find patients that don’t respond.”

“Many patients work far from home,” says Gladys. “It’s difficult for them to honor appointments. I encourage them to transfer to a facility closer to their workplace or ask their relatives to collect their ART for them. We need to make it easy for patients to stay on their treatment.” 

Of all the patients Gladys traced in April, May and June this year, 91%, 81% and 87% respectively returned to care at her facility. In just three months, she was responsible for bringing 1 644 patients back to care. Now her focus is on helping them stay on their ART. 

Top performing LCOs in four facilities in one district together ensured 6 004 patients went back on their ART. Dr Onaga adds, “LCOs across all our supported facilities were motivated to achieve similar targets. Because of their commitment, we are seeing a significant decline in patients who don’t return to facilities and a marked increase in patient adherence.”

"Right to Care is a U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)-funded, USAID implementing partner under the Accelerating Program Achievements to Control the Epidemic (APACE) grant in South Africa."

Tags
Southern Africa Regional Stories