One of the challenges however, has been to get doctors to actually write the prescriptions given so many other priorities and demands on their time (resources are tight---this hospital has long lines and sleeps two strangers to a bed at times). We also found that the price, even at a subsidized level (roughly 3-4 USD), is still too expensive for many patients in the government hospital. We did brainstorm some interesting solutions for providing incentives to the doctors and cross subsidizing the nets from one distribution channel to another.
While I was there, I met a woman who has AIDS. The nurse (who happened to be this woman's cousin) told me that none of her treatment seemed to be working and the doctors had tried so many tests. She looked so beautiful wrapped in a bright yellow kanga skirt and a golden patterned headwrap, but I couldn't help but see the pain in her eyes. She was young like me, yet she walked slowly like a woman of 90 years old. I came home that night to hear a story from a friend about his good 30 year old friend dying of AIDS a few days earlier. While my time here in Tanzania has me focusing on malaria, this was a good reminder of the numerous other challenges we are called to meet in caring for those who are suffering from disease.
A new short film, THE BICYCLE, is an inspiring experience in just that. It follows Pax Chingawale as he cycles over 20km per day from village to village in
The movie shows us how determined volunteers and antiretroviral drug treatments allow millions of people to get back to living with HIV/AIDS instead of dying from it.
You can view the film by clicking here and going to the section "Watch Videos."
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