HIV and AIDS Control on the Border of Indonesia and Timor Leste
June 6, 2024
Limitation is not an Obstacle: South Atambua Public Health Centre Strategy to End LFU
June 6, 2024Tegalrejo Public Health Centre, a Hospitable ‘Home’ for PLHIV
Adherence to taking ARV medicine for People Living with HIV (PLHIV) does not only depend on the availability of adequate medical services. Psychosocial support from the closest person is efficient for the sustainability of ARV therapy. Doctor Fajar, one of the HIV service management team members at Tegalrejo Public Health Center, realizes this, so she places herself not only as a medical worker but also as a mother figure who provides psychosocial support for PLHIV.
Doctor Fajar has been on duty at the Tegalrejo Health Center since 2020. Previously, he served at Umbulharjo Public Health Centre in Yogyakarta City. In addition to being a general practitioner, the woman with the full name Fajar Wahyuni is also in charge of HIV services.
dr. Fajar Wahyuni, the doctor of care, support and medication service in Tegalrejo Public Health Centre
Since her time at Umbulharjo I Public Health Centre, Fajar has also been in charge of HIV services. Until now, she is known as one of the most active and experienced doctors in HIV services, especially in Yogyakarta City. She is also instrumental in the struggle of health centres in Yogyakarta City to pioneer HIV care, support, and treatment services. In addition, Fajar has also been a Care, Support, and Medication service trainer for the Special Region of Yogyakarta.
Doctor Fajar's concern cannot be separated from the condition of HIV and AIDS in the city of Yogyakarta. Since it was first discovered in 1994, HIV cases in Yogyakarta have continued to increase. Based on data from the Yogyakarta City Health Office, from 1993 to December 2023, the number of HIV cases reached 1,583 cases with 74 deaths. This number increased compared to December 2019 data of 1,278 cases. Initially, case findings were only carried out in hospitals in Yogyakarta City. Around 2006, several community health centres in Yogyakarta were able to conduct HIV tests but could not provide further treatment, so they had to be referred to the hospital. Due to the increasing number of patients who had to be referred to the hospital, in 2016, for the first time, several health centres, namely Gedongtengen, Umbulharjo 1 and Mantrijeron Public Health Centre, began implementing the Care, Support, and Medication services for PLHIV. A year later, the Tegalrejo Health Centre followed suit.
Up to 2023, 450 people had accessed HIV services at Tegalrejo Health Centre. Based on the latest data, 390 new cases have been treated. Most HIV cases occur in the adolescent age range of 20-25 years and are dominated by men. To date, 250 people living with HIV are actively accessing ARVs at the health centre.
Tegalrejo Health Centre 2019 is one of the partner health centres of CD Bethesda YAKKUM in the Integrated HIV and AIDS Control Program in Yogyakarta City. There has been a lot of cooperation between UPKM / CD Bethesda YAKKUM and Tegalrejo Health Centre. Activities carried out include HIV and AIDS education for the community in the Kemantren Tegalrejo area, mobile VCT, Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Screening Training, routine coordination of LFU data with the Health Office, and educational media. When making educational media, Doctor Fajar became one of the doctor figures in the campaign message through a banner made by CD Bethesda YAKKUM.
Tegalrejo Public Health Centre’s Continuum of Care Service
The cooperation and partnership carried out with CD Bethesda YAKKUM are expected to help improve the quality of Tegalrejo Public Health Centre services and achieve the three-zero HIV and AIDS target in 2030. Efforts to realise the three-zero targets require HIV and AIDS prevention, care, support, and treatment strategies that are not only carried out by medical services but also must be supported by all related parties.
The implementation strategy of Comprehensive and Sustainable HIV and AIDS Services (CCS) requires meaningful involvement from all parties, including the government, the private sector, and the community (cadres, NGOs, peer support groups, PLHIV, families, traditional leaders, religious leaders, community leaders and organisations/groups in the community). This service will provide managerial, medical, psychological, and social support for PLHIV during care and treatment to reduce or resolve the problems faced by PLHIV.
Tegalrejo Public Health Centre also attempted to increase community involvement through education and socialisation with health cadres who were members of AIDS Care Communities. Tegalrejo Public Health Centre also collaborated with peer assistance to conduct partner notification. One of the good practices that Tegalrejo Health Centre has done to achieve LKB is initiating a cross-sector coordination meeting with public health centre funds to resolve one of the PLHIV rejection cases in the Kricak Village area in February 2023.
The hospitable service at Tegalrejo Health Centre makes PLHIV comfortable when taking their ARV therapy and other treatments. Fajar, who is in charge of the HIV programme at Tegalrejo Public Health Centre, mentioned that it's not easy to make services friendly to PLHIV. To address this, efforts have been made to educate and directly involve health workers in serving high-risk groups, key populations, and PLHIV. dr. Fajar also imparts good values to health workers so that they can understand the client's condition and foster empathy to provide good support. Overall, Tegalrejo Public Health Centre aims to provide a friendly, safe, and comfortable atmosphere for PLHIV during therapy and treatment.
Doctor Fajar applies a counselling approach in a language that is easy to understand for PLHIV, who consult him. She talks medically and becomes a friend to share stories about PLHIV's daily conditions. Doctor Fajar becomes a place to vent about obstacles or constraints PLHIV faces in interacting with the social environment, even ordinary complaints. Given that most of the PLHIV who consult are relatively young, Doctor Fajar is often seen as a mother figure to them.
(Fajar Jalu Lintang)
