Dr. Jon Fielder is a member of Christ the King Lutheran Church currently spending two years in Kenya directing the Kijabe HIV project at a clinic 40 kilometers north/northwest of Nairobi. The project is dedicated to AIDS/HIV care and prevention. If you would like to contribute to the Kijabe HIV project, make checks payable to "Africa Inland Mission" and designate that the money is for the "Kijabe HIV patient fund." Checks may be given to Christ the King Church, which will forward funds to the project.
Dear All,
I wanted to send all of you who have given of your time and resources an additional word of thanks as well as an update concerning the Kijabe HIV Patient Fund.
The fund is primarily used to buy medications for HIV-infected patients. These medications come in two main categories: medications to treat HIV itself and drugs used to treat infections arising from HIV. In the former category are the "cocktail" of drugs . . . usually of 2, not 3, drugs, unless we have donated medications or the patient has some funds. The 2-drug combination has become fairly cheap, about $17-$25/month for adults, depending on the combination. (Keep in mind this represents nearly a month's salary for the average Kenyan.) Children usually get 3 drugs (smaller doses, hence lower prices). . . .The 3-drug combination for adults is $60/month and requires more monitoring, which we usually ask the patient to pay.
In the second category of drugs—those used to treat so-called "opportunistic" infections—we primarily use the fund to purchase a medication that treats a particular meningitis in AIDS patients. The ability of Kijabe to provide this has significantly raised the standard of care we can provide HIV-infected patients.
I have attempted to codify rules surrounding the use of our fund, but this has been difficult. For example, setting a flat co-pay is impossible since many of our patients are dirt poor and can barely afford the basic drugs and lab tests. Transportation costs alone can eat up a day's pay. . . . I firmly believe patients need to make a co-payment so that the program does not become a complete handout. I think patients are more likely to take their drugs if they feel at least a little pinch in their pocketbook. Of course, we do not want to take money away from other basic needs, such as food and children's education.
We have had some amazing successes. Patients will not live out a normal lifespan, but they can have longer and healthier lives because of these medications. Given that so many of our patients are young and have young children, these extra years are obviously very important.
I have attached before and after photographs of a child being treated by our pediatrician, Ken Colina. (See photos below.) The child, like 100,000 others in Kenya, was infected at birth through his mother. The lesions are caused by the chicken pox virus. This child was treated with only two HIV medications.
Thank you all again for your generosity. I will be sending more updates in the future.
Grace and Peace,
Jon (October 6, 2002)