Wiang Haeng: Lisu Homecare
Wiang Haeng is situated close to the Myanmar border opposite Shan State. It takes almost 4 hours driving to get there. Rejoice make monthly visits to villages and communities in the surrounding area, together with health care workers from Wiang Haeng hospital, bringing supplies of basic food provisions, warm clothing and medicine including antiretroviral (ARV) medicine for the people living with HIV. The Rejoice team usually make and overnight stay in a local guest house and the following day make further home care visits on their return to Chiang Mai.
On the 27th July 2016 the Rejoice team, together with health care volunteers from Wiang Haeng made a visit to Hui Nam Ru, a Lisu hill tribe village. The village is 25km from Wiang Haeng hospital but takes about 1½ hours to reach on the hilly dirt roads. Often, in the rainy season, the roads are impassable. The villagers are subsistence farmers selling their excess produce in the local market in Wiang Haeng.
The major problem for the HIV patients is adherence to their ARV medicine. There are many reasons for not taking their ARV medicine on a regular daily basis;
• Forgetfulness
• Lack of transport
• Roads impassable especially in the rainy season
• Time taken at the hospital
• Loss of work/income
• Feeling strong and healthy and therefore don’t need the medicine
The series of photos below attempt to show some of the highlights of the visit to Hui Nam Ru.
