Do people living with HIV have a huge financial burden as HIV infection is a chronic disease?
No. Take the new fee on October 2017 as an example: it is HK$135 for the initial assessment, HK$80 for follow up and HK$15 for each prescription for a Hong Kong citizen visiting a specialist clinic in the public hospitals. The yearly fee for clinic visits is around HK$400-700, depending on the follow up frequency and medication.
Where can people living with HIV get treatment under the Hong Kong public healthcare system?
There are three Specialist Out-patient clinics in Hong Kong currently, the Kowloon Bay Integrated Treatment Centre under the Department of Health while Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital under the Hospital Authority. They provide the best medical treatment to PLHIV. A person in need may visit the one near them but they must make a reservation and have a doctor’s referral.
What is the process of treatment if one is diagnosed with HIV?
A detailed health checkup will be carried out upon the first visit to the specialist clinic. A doctor will meet the PLHIV in 2 weeks’ time to assess his/her situation and lifestyle to decide when to start the medication. For most the case, the level of HIV has been managed by the medication in 6 months and PLHIV only need to attend the medical appointment regularly every 3 to 4 months or even longer.
For more information, please refer to the following videos published by AIDS Concern:
First registration at Specialist Out-patient Clinic:
https://www.facebook.com/1720959898172087/videos/1947841855483889/
First interview with specialist nurse:
https://www.facebook.com/1720959898172087/videos/1949805471954194/
First interview with doctor:
https://www.facebook.com/1720959898172087/videos/1949806948620713/
Can people living with HIV stop medication if the CD4 goes back to normal level?
It is very dangerous to stop medication without doctors’ instruction because the CD4 cell count of the infected person will fall over time. If the CD4 cell count falls below 200, there are significant risks of developing serious illnesses. The lower the CD4 cell count, the greater damage to the immune system and risk of illness. In order to keep the CD4 cell count above 200 and maintain the virus load at an undetectable lever, people living with HIV should have a healthy lifestyle and take medication on time. This can also prevent opportunistic infections.