Autonomous Treatment Centre

They focus on the following problems that hinder effective health care in poor areas; the lack of health education and information, unemployment, disease-related morbidity and mortality and the burgeoning numbers of orphans and vulnerable children due the prevalence of poverty and disease. In order to better the provision of these services, they implemented a multi-stakeholder response and have partnered with the provincial Dept of Health and various national and international donors like PEPFAR, UNICEF, and Anglo Coal. Local and international universities like the University of Berlin, assist with ongoing research and building in-house capacity. Organizations like the Waterberg Welfare Society support with HIV/ AIDS treatment roll-out, and AgriAids works specifically in the farming sector. Farm workers form a special target group of NMT because HIV/ AIDS severely affects this group living in remote areas. Eight projects are run under the ATC model that offer pre-natal and PMTCT care in the form of a maternity clinic, nutritional support in the form of food gardens and education, OVC care in 3 pre-schools in the Moutse area, and VCT services. HIV/ AIDS awareness is also offered to schools and traditional leaders. These services, including a mobile dental project, are largely mobile and brought to poor households and schools in the community. They also have a medical facility that offers hospitalization services (16 beds) and a pharmacy and an on-site lab so HIV results can be speedily found. 

Innovation

ATC uses the HIV pandemic as a capacity builder and employment tool. It is an effective rural healthcare model that delivers integrated care. It has decentralized treatment provision by being the only NGO in Mpumalanga and Limpopo that has brokered an agreement with the DOH to supply TB treatment on behalf of the public sector. In 2005, NMT joined forces with AgriJobs, a local recruitment company and created a national advocacy forum to raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on commercial agriculture, called AgriAids. It is the first initiative of its kind in South Africa that raises awareness of the impact of HIV/ AIDS on farm workers and commercial agriculture as a whole. 

Effectiveness

Over 6000 VCT’s are done every year and over 2500 patients are enrolled on ARV treatment in two provinces. 3 farms are reached with mobile HIV/ AIDS care, with 2 in Limpopo and one in Gauteng. 4 Ndlovu Nutritional Unit sites exist around Mouste with 250 households enrolling every year. 1022 children have registered with the OVC programme. 400 children are enrolled in their OVC programme at pre-schools. Their TB project has enrolled 1500 patients in 2006. Between 400-600 people are reached every month with information and education in their HIV/ AIDS awareness project. 2300 schoolchildren are screened every year in their mobile dental project.

Poverty Impact

NMT employs 250 people from the Moutse area and since 2007 more than 3000 people have done Voluntary Counselling & Testing at the Ndlovu project sites. In total, NMT projects reach between 15 000 and 20 000 people every year providing health and social services.

Replication

The primary project site is found in Limpopo but they have also expanded to creating two sites in Mpumalanga. The Bhubezi ATC in Mpumalanga, opened on April 2007, and another opened on July 2007 in Vaalwater Limpopo. One Autonomous Treatment Clinic can serve a population between 80 000 and 150 000 and support 4 to 6 rural clinics.      

Sustainability

NMT’s total expenditure for 2007 was R37 million. Both their ATC centers have funding secured from USAID/ PEPFAR until 2010. In 2006 their income totaled on R3 918 264. Both their ATC’s have funding secured until 2010 with USAID/ PEPFAR.

Partnerships

• Stichting Liberty (maternity clinic)

• Vodacom and Dept of Agriculture (nutritional units)

• UNICEF, Dept of Social Development (OVC)

• Dept of Education (pre-school programme)

• Dept of Health (TB project)

• PEPFAR, Virgin Unite, Right to Care, Anglo Coal (VCT programme)

• Royal Netherlands Embassy (HIV/ AIDS awareness project)

• Local and International Universities (research and capacity building)

• Toga Laboratories (technology and IT development)

• Waterberg Welfare Society (ARV roll outs)

Visit www.ndlovucaregroup.co.za for more information