"AIDS today is not a death sentence. It can be treated as a chronic illness, or a chronic disease."
This statement by billionaire scientist and businessman Yusuf Hamied is very true, as a healthy lifestyle combined with medication can result in a long fulfilling life for those living with HIV.
Discovering that you're HIV-positive can, however, still be a very traumatic experience.
That's why, at GetSavvi Health, we offer a free HIV counselling and assistance programme to our members. GetSavvi Health's Unlimited WHISPA benefit forms part of our Member Wellness Programme and assists members who are currently dealing with personal issues.
The Unlimited HIV, Trauma and Assault Counselling benefit offers:
HIV Counselling
GetSavvi Health members, irrespective of what plan you're signed up for, have access to this free counselling service.
This hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Through this service, members can consult with a panel of experts who are able to assist them with the physical as well as psychological aspects of dealing with a traumatic experience.
Health Counselling
Our health counsellors offer a better understanding of cancer, HIV/Aids, diabetes and asthma, etc., with specific medical and health advice to help the patient and those around them better cope with their circumstances.
GetSavvi Health Assistance Programme
If a member suspects that they've been exposed to HIV, they can call the hotline. The member will be sent for Elisa tests (standard HIV tests) and where necessary, will be given antiretroviral (ARV) medication. This is a preventive service which means that the aim is to prevent members from becoming HIV-positive (where possible), should they be exposed to the virus.
There are, however, a few conditions. The member is required to inform the service provider of the assault within 48 hours of it taking place. The sooner it's reported, the more time the ARV medication has to work.
Each member is further limited to a maximum of two claims within a 12-month period. This is put in place to ensure that members don't use this preventive service as an alternative to traditional and accepted norms of good behaviour to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
For sexual assault, the member also has access to the morning-after pill (for females), sexually transmitted disease medication, face-to-face counselling, security benefits (R1 500) and alternative therapies (R1 500).
What is HIV?
"HIV' stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. To understand what that means, let's break it down:
H – Human: This particular virus can only infect human beings.
I – Immunodeficiency: HIV weakens your immune system by destroying important cells that fight disease and infections. A "deficient" immune system can't protect you.
V – Virus: A virus can only reproduce itself by taking over a cell in the body of its host.
HIV is a lot like other viruses, including those that cause the "flu' or the common cold. But there is an important difference. Over time your immune system can clear most viruses from your body.
That isn't the case with HIV/Aids. The human immune system can't get rid of it. That means that once you have HIV, you have it for life.