The Jalisco Health Ministry launched the HIV Waterfall Care program. This care scheme reduces to a third the time the patient has to wait for treatment. Under this program, the patient has diagnosis, specialized care and medicine in only 41 days.
The state Health Minister, Jaime A. Alvarez, said that this system allows patients to have medical attention immediately and disease control.
There are three action strategies integrating this model to increase viral control. These strategies are:
- Diagnose people who are do not know are living with HIV.
- Link these people with positive diagnosis with health care services.
- Retain people receiving antiretroviral treatment and avoid that they abandon it.
According with Minister Alvarez, the new model consists in five steps: two reactive rapid tests; sampling; affiliation management to ‘Seguro Popular’ (Popular Insurance) and medical records consolidation; consultation with a specialist; and initiation of antiretroviral therapy.
The Health Minister said that this is a scheme started in Atlanta and then was applied in Jalisco and Mexico City.
Also, he explained that the waterfall model streamlines care; as it substantially reduces the waiting time, from 120 days to 41.
In the cases of HIV confirmed infection, the patients get a series of comprehensive studies; including cluster of differentiation four (CD4) count. Furthermore, patients receive the entire tests needed to analyze their health, such as VDRL serological tests for syphilis, hepatitis viruses, among others.
Through: Secretaría de Salud (Ministry of Health)
