With more than 80% of Malawi's population living in remote rural villages, villagers who are sick must walk many kilometers to access healthcare. The distance has grave consequences on women and children's health. Pregnant women cannot easily access prenatal care, and the difficulty of transporting sick children to distant hospitals and clinics contributes to high child and maternal mortality rates. Many villagers are infected with HIV yet remain untested and untreated, thereby increasing new infections and mother-to-child transmission of the disease.

To provide integrated healthcare services including same-day HIV testing, monitoring ARV (antiretroviral drug) adherence, diagnosing and treating malaria, and testing for and treating tuberculosis, GAIA launched its Mobile Health Clinic program in 2008 with the generous support of the Elizabeth Taylor HIV/AIDS Foundation.

The Mobile Health Clinics were piloted in Mulanje, a remote and underserved region of the country long ignored by international NGOs and the underserved by the government. Mulanje borders Mozambique and the resulting cross-border traffic and commerce fuels HIV by encouraging commercial sex between truck drivers and desperately poor local women and girls. An acute shortage of district health personnel as well as medications and supplies means that many people living in this region cannot obtain basic healthcare.

In 2008, GAIA purchased two four-wheel drive vehicles capable of reaching remote villages. Each vehicle contains an examination couch, supplies and storage for medical and laboratory supplies.

 

Read International Program Director, Ellen Schell's recent report from her visit to the mobile clinics in January 2009.

Click here to read
 

The villagers' test results speak to the importance of this life-saving program-during its first month of operation, 86 villagers were tested for HIV, and 23% tested positive-including 14 pregnant women. All 14 pregnant women were referred for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission helping ensure that the next generation will be born free of the disease.