iCLM system introduced to help patients provide information freely
While some patients with certain diseases say that their medical information is being leaked, a system has now been introduced that will ensure that this information remains between them and their doctor, with the aim of further protecting the confidentiality of their information and respecting their right to privacy.
It is a system called iCLM, launched by the NGO Coalition for HIV/AIDS and Health Promotion, in partnership with RBC and with support from the Global Fund.
The iCLM (Integrated Community-Led Monitoring) system is a mechanism designed to collect, monitor, and analyze data provided by community organizations on the delivery of health services.
Civil society and community groups collect data through interviews, participatory surveys, and monitoring of service delivery.
The data collected is shared with health authorities to inform strategies to improve services.
This approach will primarily benefit people at high risk of contracting diseases such as malaria, including rice farmers, potters, prisoners, miners, and students in boarding schools.
It will also benefit people at high risk of contracting HIV, such as sex workers, homosexuals, and those exposed to the TB epidemic, including those who have recovered and those who have been exposed to them.
One sex worker told to Amahoronews that it was a major obstacle to requesting and accessing services, as sometimes people do not want to expose their concerns in public.
“Sometimes I have difficulty getting medicine at the hospital because I am not comfortable, especially when I see a new doctor or a lot of people. I hope this new system will help us.”
A member of the Hope & Key Organization, an organization that mainly includes sex workers and those at risk of HIV and TB, said the iCLM system is useful in solving service delivery problems.
He said that there were health center directors and doctors who did not receive information that some patients did not let nurses tell them about their illness, due to shame and cultural stigma.
He said: “For example, homosexuals who often suffer from ‘Chou Fleur’ disease, it is difficult for them to tell the doctor, they are afraid, to the point that the disease can overtake them and lead to death.”
Ngabonzima Louis, Program Officer at RwandaNGOForum, emphasizes that implementing this project and the iCLM system in Rwanda offers the opportunity to save many lives.
He said, “The iCLM approach aims to address emerging challenges, so that health institutions can identify and address barriers to accessing reliable and life-sustaining health services.”
The program was launched in districts where people in specific groups are at high risk of contracting diseases including Malaria, AIDS and Tuberculosis, namely Gasabo, Gisagara, Rulindo, Rubavu and Rwamagana.
Amani Ntakandi
Amahoronews.com
