To support our HIV-positive patients on anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment – and to ensure that
the medicines are taken correctly – St. Mary’s runs a community outreach programme, known as iThemba.

This has positively contributed to the high adherence rate of our patients on ARVs, which in turn means:

• reduced HIV-related morbidity and mortality;
• improved quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS;
• a sustainable ARV programme at primary health care level.

Through this programme, St Mary's hopes that the disease will be transformed from a condition that is perceived as a death sentence, to one that is seen as a manageable chronic illness.

The offer of treatment provides a direct incentive for persons to be counselled and tested – an intervention which has shown to reduce risky behaviour and hence HIV transmission. As a result of additional funding obtained through PEPFAR, thousands of people now have access to ARVs.