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Here in Nigeria, living with HIV/AIDS is more saddening than in the western world; which is why there are Heart to Heart Centers in Abuja and every state of the federation, to help people living with HIV/AIDS get the right information and moral support.
Heart to heart Centers are in different states of the country, although they are numerous in some states than others, their services are available in every region of the country. Heart to Heart Centers cater to the knowledge, psychological, and medical needs of their patients, as long as it is HIV/AIDS related. Some of them provide counseling, testing, and treatment to HIV/AIDS patients. Others provide only counseling and testing.
In this article, you will be informed on the Heart to Heart Centers in Abuja and their addresses, to help you easily locate them. Also, you will have information on why you should visit a Heart to Heart Center, even if you do not have HIV/AIDS.
Why You Should Visit a Heart to Heart Center
Heart to Heart Centers are generally available to cater to the health-related needs of HIV/AIDS patients in Nigeria. They are there to help them cope better with the deadly virus and make treatment easier for them.
Many Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS have had to bear the monetary and psychological cost by themselves till the advent of the Heart to Heart centers. They have had to seek counselors on their own, dig up information about living with HIV/AIDS and drawing strength from other people’s stories, who also have the same medical condition as they.
Here are some reasons you should visit a Heart to Heart Center today. Some of these reason apply even if you do not have HIV/AIDS or you are yet to know your status.
Counseling
One of the main purposes of creating Heart to Heart Centers in Abuja and other parts of the country is to provide counseling, free of charge to people living with HIV/AIDS. The counseling helps them to know that they can still live and enjoy life, even with the virus, and they can do all what other healthy people can.
It is common for people living with HIV/AIDS to believe their life has come to an end. In the course of living in their misery, the leave the door open for other mentally-related health concerns, such as depression, to creep in, making their overall health weaker.
Counseling in the Heart to Heart centers help them to see life as good or even better than they used to see it, and makes sure they understand and accept that their lives have not come to an end.
Free Testing
It can be scary to go on HIV tests. It becomes easier to avoid doing it when you have to pay. However, its importance is made apparent by the offering of the tests for free. It removes the excuse of avoiding it due to cost.
Heart to Heart centers provide HIV/AIDS test to individuals who wish to know their status for free. After getting the results, they are also counseled, depending on the result of their test.
Confidentiality
Your secret is safe with the workers – Doctors and Nurses – of the Heart to Heart centers. The same way there is patient-doctor confidentiality in hospitals and clinics, it extends to the Heart to Heart centers. The result of your test is known only to you and the center, only.
Heart to Heart centers help to eliminate the possibility of others knowing your HIV status when you wish to keep it confidential, thus, reducing, and in most cases, removing the stigma attached to people knowing your HIV status, especially if it is positive.
Education
People living with HIV/AIDS are educated on how to live their best life with the virus. Heart to Heart centers teach both infected and non-infected individuals how to live with one another, without causing stigmatization of the former group of people.
They also teach them on the right food to eat, how to use their medication, and how to help their immune system fight infections despite its weakened state, caused by the virus.
Free Drugs
The cost of anti-retro viral drugs has led many individuals living with HIV to stop taking their medications. However, these drugs are available at the Heart to Heart centers for free, and you will get the most quality and authentic drugs from these centers.
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Heart to Heart Centers in Abuja
Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital, Gwagwalada, FCT, Abuja
Otherwise called the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital. Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital is in Gwagwalada Local Government Council, in the Federal Capital Territory. The hospital is a little over 30 minutes’ drive from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. It is a well-equipped hospital and has modern facilities and knowledge with its association with the College of Health Sciences, University of Abuja.
Wuse General Hospital, Wuse Zone 3, FCT, Abuja
Wuse General Hospital is located on 15, Conakry Street, Wuse 1 Zone 3, FCT, Abuja. It is a public healthcare provider that is open to all and sundry. Its heart to heart center is well staffed and you will receive a warm and professional reception there.
National Hospital, FCT, Abuja
The National Hospital, Abuja was founded in May 1999, as National Hospital for Women and Children, and receives it current name in 2010. It has catered to the health needs of many notable Nigerians and the public alike.
It is located on 265 Independence Avenue, central Business District 900103, Abuja. It has a heart to heart center that has professional staff and has excelled in its services.
St. Mary’s Catholic Hospital, Gwagwalada, FCT.
St. Mary’s Catholic Hospital offers numerous medical services, one of which is the testing and counselling of HIV/AIDS patients in their Heart to Heart Center. The hospital is known to be pristine and offer quality service.
They can be found on 1, FRCN road, Opposite Police Station, Gwagwalada, Abuja.
Conclusion
Heart to Heart centers are a safe haven for HIV/AIDs patients. They are also places where people living with and without the deadly HIV virus can receive education on the virus and how it affects humans. Confidentiality is in the core of the centers and everyone should visit the center, at least to get tested for free.
