So when a mobile medical service carrying nurses, counsellors and supplies of antiretroviral drugs began visiting her district two years ago, she was relieved.
During COVID-19 lockdowns that made travel impossible, it became a lifeline. “It has saved me time, money and my health,” said Dlamini, 46, as she waited in line with farm workers next to the blue minivan on a dirt road bordered by thick, green sugarcane crops.
HIV professionals battling to maintain services during the coronavirus pandemic have been adopting similarly innovative methods – from mailing out prescriptions to scaling up self-testing and video consultations.