Aids Healthcare Foundation to build clinic in South Africa

The Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will build its first clinic in South Africa, the global organisation announced today.

"We appreciate the opportunity to assist the government with HIV treatment, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal," AHF South Africa country programme director Hilary Thulare said.

"With this new state-of-the-art clinic, we aim to provide services to more patients so that we can begin to see the overall benefits of treatment and prevention nationally..."

The clinic will be built at Umlazi in KwaZulu-Natal.

Free services

AHF in South Africa offers comprehensive HIV/Aids and tuberculosis treatment and care services, including HIV prevention and testing.

The services include antiretroviral medication, CD4 testing and laboratory monitoring, treatment for opportunistic infections, on-site pharmacy services, condom distribution, and community outreach HIV testing services.

All are provided free of charge.

Thulare said AHF had established its first treatment site outside the United States in 2002, in Umlazi.

A second site was opened at Middeldrift, in the Eastern Cape, in 2008.

The new clinic would be built on a site owned by the organisation, where services would be extended to those affected and infected by HIV and Aids.

A sod-turning ceremony will be held on 12 May.

Source: Health24