We provide essential lab services for pregnant and birthing women. Currently, our lab can't offer vaginal swab tests for STDs or WBC (White Blood Cell) tests, as we need replacement equipment parts. We can't offer HIV tests as we currently lack the lab reagent. We are required to test labouring Moms for HIV to protect babies and staff. We urgently need more COVID-19 rapid tests. Under federal law, we can't accept a labouring Mom as a patient unless she has a negative COVID19 test.
We provide essential lab services for pregnant women. Currently, our lab can't offer vaginal swab tests for STDs or WBC (White Blood Cell) tests because we need replacement equipment parts, or HIV tests as we need more reagent. We need to test labouring Moms for HIV to protect babies and staff. We urgently need COVID-19 rapid tests. Under federal law, we can't accept a labouring Mom as a patient unless she has a negative COVID19 test, and must refer her to hospital, which she often can't afford.
By providing HIV and vaginal swab testing, we can find out which women have HIV and STDs so we can protect them from passing infections to their babies during birth and breastfeeding or to Bumi Sehat midwives. We can also refer these women for STD and HIV counselling and treatment programs in Bali. If we can test every new patient for COVID19, we won't need to refer women to local hospitals, which they often can't afford.
Our project will allow detection and testing for STDs and HIV in patients for a year, and COVID19 for six months. Bumi Sehat has about 40 births per month, almost 500 per year. Women with HIV and STDs will be aware they're infected, receive treatment and counselling and won't spread these infections. All patients can be tested for COVID19 and won't need to be referred elsewhere. Women who cannot afford hospital or birthing costs will still be treated by-donation at Bumi Sehat.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
