With more people now qualifying to be put on antiretroviral treatment, the North West Department of Health has moved swiftly to train nurses to initiate HIV positive persons on antiretroviral therapy.
About 1 500 nurses are being trained on Nurse Initiated Management of Antiretroviral Therapy (NIMART). A total of 100 nurses have so far completed training on NIMART and will be presented with competency certificate by MEC Dr. Magome Masike on Friday, 29 November at Mmabatho Convention Center. The NIMART certification ceremony starts at 09h00 am.
Initially the process was doctor driven, however following bold and life changing HIV and AIDS policies by President Jacob Zuma in 2009 a need aroused to train nurses as more HIV positive persons qualified to be put on treatment. The new policy directed that people infected with TB and HIV and Aids receive ARV treatment when their CD4 count was at 350 or less. Prior to HIV policy change treatment was only available when one's CD4 count was less than 200.
During NIMART training process nurses are being mentored by District Clinical Specialist Teams and District Family Physicians. Doctors now initiate high risk HIV positive persons on antiretroviral therapy while competent nurses are able to initiate low risk patients.
Eight months following the introduction of new Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) antiretrovirals, the department is now ready to switch patients on old treatment to FDC. However, patients will only be switched to one ARV pill a day after they have been assessed by a clinician as some of HIV persons may not be able to take the one ARV pill due to their medical condition.
The new pill is a combination of all three antiretroviral pills emtricitabine, efavirenz and tenofovir. It is being administered to all newly diagnosed patients that are eligible to be put on ARV treatment, pregnant women and HIV positive breastfeeding mothers. The pill is easy to take, highly effective with fewer or no side effects and it is in no way inferior to taking three individual drugs.
The North West Province is currently providing antiretroviral treatment to close to 190 000 HIV positive persons. All health facilities in the North West province are providing antiretroviral treatment.
Members of the media are invited.
Enquiries:
Tebogo Lekgethwane, Provincial Health Spokesperson
Cell: 082 929 9958
E-mail: tlekgethwane@nwpg.gov.za
