The Mother and Child Program offers pregnant women comprehensive care around the birth of their children. The core element of the program is a therapy to prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to their unborn children, which drastically reduces the risk of infection. This form of therapy has been used at the Ndlovu Medical Center since 2003 – with phenomenal success: thanks to treatment at the center, 99% of HIV-infected mothers now give birth to healthy, HIV-negative babies.
Since 2008, a total of 2838 children have been born at the Ndlovu Care Group’s mother and child clinic. 538 mothers were HIV-positive. Every single one of them gave birth to a healthy, HIV-negative baby. That is a huge success. As part of the mother-child program, the women at the clinic are also educated about sexual hygiene, protection against sexually transmitted diseases and the dangers of HIV and AIDS. Over 180 women take advantage of this information service every month. A free cervical cancer treatment program is also offered.
In 2016, the mother and child clinic initially had to be closed. Hugo Tempelman explained this in an open letter: “It is with great regret, but in good spirit, that we would like to inform you that the 24-hour mother and child clinic at the Medical Center in Elandsdoorn will be closed. We have been informed by the Ministry of Health that the private clinic license for 24h operation will not be renewed until extensive investments are made. It was never our intention to become a private clinic, but offering a 24-hour service puts us in that category.”
Read about this in detail: The end of an era of empathetic help and extraordinary success
However, basic medical care and support in the Medical Center will be maintained as part of a 12-hour clinic.
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Continuation of the 12-hour clinic in Elandsdoorn
