At Thembelihle – which means ‘good hope’ - patients are provide with palliative care, treatment for chronic problems, comfortable accommodation, good nutrition and counseling. Two 12-bed wards are open: one for female and one for male patients. Qualified nurses and nurse aides are providing the clinical care. A physician – who provides services on a volunteer basis - examines and reviews each patient twice a week and is always available for emergencies. Family members are invited to visit at any time and they are taught how to nurse, feed and bath their ill relatives and to administer medication. Our services are provided until the patient is well enough for home-based care and the family is ready to give it. Services are also provided to those who do not have family who are willing to help them. In some cases, Thembelihle gives people living with HIV/AIDS a place to die in comfort and dignity.
As a consequence, hospitals in Zimbabwe have become overwhelmed by caring for people with AIDS. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that many patients must linger in crowded hospitals long after the acute conditions which led to their admissions have been treated. They remain weak and ill. Common problems are ulcers, fistulae, genito-urinary infections, neuropathic pain, diarrhea and dehydration. Ideally, after the acute problem has been dealt with, these patients would be discharged, with their chronic or minor ailments cared for at home. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Zimbabweans have limited resources for coping with the needs of a family member with AIDS. They can not afford to pay for supportive clinical services at home: they are burdened by the chronic shortages of food and fuel, by unemployment (currently above 70%) and by the constantly rising costs of all necessities. Their houses are small and crowded, with primitive bathing and laundry facilities. And they do not have the skills needed to support their relatives or to treat their problems.