Mobile Testing Clinic – Ubud
Yayasan Bali Peduli has a Mobile Testing Clinic that directly services the clients. This service is helpful for people who want and need to get tested for HIV and STI’s, but usually due to their remote location, cannot do so.
The Mobile Testing Services was set up in 2013 in Jembrana and Buleleng and since then, 50 tests have been conducted. This year, Yayasan Bali Peduli’s goal is to expand this program and take our mobile clinics to a wider range of communities.
There are many people living on the island of Bali who do not know that they are HIV positive. They may not have the time or the necessary transport and means to visit one of YBP’s two medical testing clinics. There are two main negative elements of this outcome. If a citizen is HIV positive and they are unaware, they may continue to engage in unprotected sex and spread the virus to their partners. The second element is that HIV positive citizens do not access ARV, only becoming aware of their status when their health deteriorates and reaches a critical state.
It is important for all citizens to be tested for HIV/STIs if they are having unprotected sex or suspect they may be positive. Yayasan Bali Peduli tries to encourage people to ‘get tested, get treated and get on with your life!‘
In September of this year, the YBP Outreach Team and nurses from Klinik Anggrek, met with female sex-workers working in Ubud to test them all for HIV and STIs. A total of 13 women were tested and out of the 13 tested, 12 had never been tested before for HIV or STIs. All the women tested negative for HIV.
A member from the Outreach Team had a chat with the women about getting tested for HIV. All the women agreed that it was easier for them having all their friends getting tested at the same time and that they would have been afraid to do it alone.
Many female sex workers in Bali are often discriminated against by government health services, which discourages them to get tested. They also work irregular hours and that can make it hard for them to find time to visit a YBP clinic to get tested. However, Klink Anggrek in Ubud has now extended their opening hours to 4pm-8pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays to cater to people like female sex workers.
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