22.11.2018

On November 21, in St. Petersburg, mobile assistance was launched for people with HIV who cannot reach medical facilities on their own. It is the first service of its kind in Russia.

The project is being implemented by the St. Petersburg AIDS Center and the Humanitarian Action charitable foundation. The mobile team, which will be sent to the homes of HIV-positive people, includes an infectious diseases doctor and a nurse from the AIDS Center, as well as a social worker and a psychologist from the Humanitarian Action foundation.

The doctor will examine the patient and decide whether hospitalisation is necessary, the nurse will take blood samples at the doctor’s request. The social worker will bring by proxy drugs for the treatment of the HIV infection and will help with social issues, and the psychologist, if necessary, will provide emotional and psychological support.

“We have long dreamed of such a project and are thrilled that it has become a reality,” says Olga Leonova, head of the Palliative Medicine department of the St. Petersburg AIDS Center. “It allows us to ensure continuity in the provision of medical and social care to our patients with advanced stages of HIV infection and with severe comorbid conditions (when a person has several chronic diseases linked by a single pathogenetic mechanism). This includes inpatient treatment in the Palliative Medicine department and post-treatment support from doctors, psychologists and social workers. The mobile help team can also be called by patients who are distanced from medical care for a variety of other reasons such as disabled people, underprivileged people and single mothers with young children. ”

For the time being, mobile doctors will set out on request twice a week. More than 100 trips are planned for the year. The mobile team hotline is: +7 (952) 242 89 71.

Source: https://www.asi.org.ru/news/2018/11/22/mobilnaya-pomoshh-vich/