HIV Medicine and Care

In Hong Kong, highly effective treatment of HIV disease has been available since 1997. Patients who are adherent to it regain their health. Treatment improves both life span and life quality.

Yet, comprehensive medical care is much more than HIV medicine alone. The many complications of HIV disease require a multidisciplinary and multispecialty team of professionals: doctors, nurses, counsellors, case managers, and social workers. All clinical care services should also respect the rights of the patient, including the right to confidentiality.

Clinic based public health programmes are essential. Services ranging from risk reduction counselling, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, treatment of sexually transmitted infections, partner counselling and testing, to a harm reduction approach to substance use will protect not only the patient but also his or her partner.

Currently, there are three designated HIV clinical services in the public sector: the Integrated Treatment Centre (ITC) of the Department of Health, the AIDS Clinical Service of Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and the Infectious Disease Special Medical (IDSM) Clinic of Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH). These centres serve the vast majority of HIV infected patients engaged in care.