Mozambique

Project Background:

RMF’s Mobile Clinic in Mozambique is a new model of health care provision for our organization, conceptualized to reach remote and rural communities with no prior access to health care. Since its inception in 2008 our Mobile Clinic has been hugely successful and remains the only mobile clinic in all of Mozambique. The clinic, a collaboration between RMF, Vanderbilt University’s Friends in Global Health and Medical Mission International, is currently deployed in one of the most populous provinces of Mozambique, Zambézia Province, located in the central coastal region with a population of almost 4 million. 

Summary of RMF/MMI-sponsored activities carried out during the reporting period under each project objective:

In the Second Quarter of 2012 the Mobile Clinic started a full-fledged implementation of the strategy presented in January 2012, visiting the localities of Malei and Mexixine on a bi-weekly schedule. Main activities include:

1. To provide primary health services to the populations of Malei and Mexixine.

2. To provide HIV diagnosis, care and treatment services, including integrated services for TB/HIV co-infected patients.

3. To provide ANC and PMTCT services to pregnant women.

4. To provide care and early infant diagnosis services to children born to HIV-positive women.

5. To provide TB diagnosis, care and treatment services.

6. Participation in one Health Fair in Quelimane city, organized by the Provincial Directorate on Education and Culture.

Results and/or accomplishments achieved during this reporting period:

Peripheral Health Unit support:

Health Fairs:

Number served/number of direct project beneficiaries:

3,127 were directly reached by mobile clinic activities this quarter

Success story(s) highlighting project impact:

Laurindo Manuel Escrivão started ART treatment at Namacurra Health Center in May 2010. His wife Calinda and his 3-year old daughter are also HIV positive, and started ART soon afterwards. They had to travel monthly from the locality of Malei to Namacurra to get their treatment. The trip cost them approximately USD 4, which was impossible for the family to pay on a long-term basis. Thus, after a few months, they abandoned treatment.

Laurindo continued visiting the Malei Health Post, but this facility did not have the capacity to deliver ART treatment at the time. The only medicines available there were basic antibiotics to treat opportunistic infections, and vitamins.

When the Mobile Clinic started supporting Malei in April 2012, he approached the Mobile Clinic staff and explained to them his family situation. Fortunately, the family had kept the health cards which are given to all HIV patients in need of follow-up care. With these cards, the Mobile Clinic staff was able to recover their medical records and transfer them to the Malei Health Post which now offers ART services through the mobile clinic. They underwent appropriate laboratory analysis (CD4) and counseling sessions and restarted ART in the subsequent weeks.

Thanks to the Mobile Clinic intervention they have maintained stable follow-up and all are progressing well with their ART regimens.

This case illustrates the need of improve outreach with the communities, to be able to bring care to the patient and as a result recover more patients previously lost to follow-up and avoid patients being lost in the first place.