People Living With, Not Dying From Disease: Patient Empowerment Through Anti-Retroviral Therapy and Possibilities for Social Change

In South Africa today, it is estimated that there are 6.5 million people living with HIV/AIDS, at least half a million of whom require urgent treatment. Although the South African government has committed itself to rolling out anti-retroviral therapy through the public healthcare system, progress has been slower than expected. Yet in numerous sites around South Africa, rollout centres have been established successfully, even in the most rural parts of the country. These programmes rely on existing community initiatives, community health workers and volunteers, and positive people themselves to educate, counsel, and monitor ARV patients. This study suggests that this model of care can be extremely empowering for the patient and reconceptualises healthcare as a path to social change, drawing primarily on Madwaleni Hospital in the Eastern Cape and the Edendale community in KwaZulu-Natal.