A Union survey of TB-HIV patients in Benin found that they develop a strong attachment to the site where they first access HIV care, that 91% were affected professionally by the physical incapacity brought on by the disease, and more.

The implementation of The Union’s Integrated HIV Care (IHC) programme in Benin included a survey to capture patients’ perspective on TB and HIV services integration. Over 160 HIV+ TB patients were interviewed up to 5 times at 3-month intervals. They were asked about the socio-economic status of their household, their recent use of health services, their opinion of TB and HIV services, their out-of pocket costs associated with seeking care, and the strategies they used to cope with the economic impact of their illness. 

Answers showed that patients develop a strong attachment to the site where they first access HIV care. Patients who had started antiretroviral treatment at an AIDS programme site prior to developing TB expressed a preference for continuing treatment there, while patients diagnosed as HIV+ at a TB clinic were strongly in favour of continuing HIV treatment at that clinic. Reasons most frequently invoked included a concern for confidentiality (“No one else needs to know about my disease”), and the TB clinic’s closer proximity to the patient’s domicile. 

Patients were also asked whether their illness had affected their professional activity. Almost all, (91%), indicated that it had- mainly because they were physically incapacitated. When questioned about coping strategies, a majority of patients explained that they had received help from their families. Approximately 35% confessed to having borrowed money or going further into debt, and 30% admitted that they had sold some possessions, ranging from plots of land to motorcycles to bowls and clothes. Most people indicated that they had reduced expenses, cutting down primarily on food costs. Many patients pleaded for assistance from local authorities, notably to pay back debts and resume their economic activity. 

The study was also conducted in the North Kivu and Bas Congo provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo; these findings are currently under analysis.