Botswana Rolls Out Treatment in Remote Areas

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In remote places like Bokspits, Botswana, a growing number of people are accessing antiretroviral therapy (ART) thanks to support from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Emergency Plan/PEPFAR). The Kgalahadi District in Botswana was one of the first to roll out treatment to several rural clinics, enabling patients to receive medications where they live instead of traveling long distances.

Dr. Philip Mwala of the PEPFAR Master Trainer Program surveys the Kgalahadi outside of Bokspits. Mwala has helped government clinics roll out antiretroviral drugs to residents living in the most remote areas of the country through on-going training and mentoring.		Nurse Peggy Thumpe dispenses antiretroviral drugs at the Middelspits Clinic.		Lenah Metswi, a lay counselor at Middelspits Clinic, says patients have less hesitancy coming forward for antiretroviral drugs now that they know the service is available close to home.		Hanna is a counselor at the Vaalhoek Health Post a few kilometers from the Bokspits Clinic where she was born 33 years ago.
Donkey carts are a main mode of transport in many areas like Middelspits and Bokspits.