Care doesn’t end when a patient is discharged from a Partners In Health (PIH) facility. In many ways, it marks the beginning. The beginning of a new routine, new responsibilities, and a new type of care.
Such is the case for Nthabiseng Mokone, a 27-year-old patient with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). After spending six months in inpatient care, Mokone recently reunited with her loved ones.
Below, follow through photos as Mokone travels from a PIH-supported halfway facility to her home.
PIH-supported halfway home in Maseru, Lesotho, where Mokone spent three months. Before that, she received care for three months at PIH-supported Botšabelo Hospital.
Mokone inside the truck, as a PIH driver brings her from the halfway house to her home, about a 30-minute ride. PIH drivers are an integral part of care across all sites.
As the driver got closer to Mokone’s home, Mokone’s energy shifted from quiet and reserved to excited and relieved. A smile, though not visible because of her face mask, was clear because her eyes lit up and cheeks lifted. Her family members eagerly awaited her arrival
Along with her discharge, Mokone was provided with a food package consisting of Food package Maize meal, Sorghum meal, Sugar, Beans, Split peas, Cooking oil, Powdered milk and salt.
Mats’epang Marito, treatment supporter, and Marumo, review Mokone’s MDR-TB treatment regimen. Although she’s home and in stable condition, she will continue to take medication as she recovers.
Marumo speaks with Mokone’s family about her treatment plan and how they can support her continued recovery. Prior to her return home, all of Mokone’s family members were screened for tuberculosis.
Marito visits Mokone several times a day to help her take medications, answer questions, and provide support and access to care. Unlike community health workers, who are assigned to multiple patients, treatment supporters only care for one patient at a time.
Mokone smiles outside of her home. After six long months, she’s finally home. Every year, PIH Lesotho treats hundreds of patients, like Mokone, for MDR-TB a deadly, but curable infectious disease.
