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If you've been recently diagnosed with HIV, it is important to remain calm. The treatment available for HIV in Malaysia is extremely effective at stopping the progression of HIV and preventing any HIV related complications from affecting your life.
The most important step for you to take will be to start your Antiretroviral Treatment as soon as possible. No matter where you go for this treatment, you'll have to go through the same procedures, which you can find out more about here (ADDLINK).
Where do I go?
Before deciding where to go for treatment, you'll need to first decide whether you'd like to go through public or private healthcare.
All Malaysian Citizens are eligible for free HIV treatment through the public healthcare system (ie; at government hospitals and Klinik Kesihatans).
Private healthcare is another option to consider also. Though private services have some additional costs, they are also generally faster and allow for more freedom in terms of consulting with your doctor and the tests that you do.
As an NGO managed clinic, CHCC currently offers the cheapest HIV testing and treatment services in Kuala Lumpur. Furthermore, we also have equipment to carry out CD4 counts and viral load counts in-house, allowing us to give same day results to clients who do these tests with us (subject to machine queue). Our doctors are also highly experienced at dealing with HIV at every stage of infection.
Who do I Call?
As you begin your journey of living with HIV it's important to remember that there are lots of people out there who are ready to help if you ask for it.
Another project under the PT Foundation, known as MSMPOZ, is dedicated to providing support and assistance with People Living with HIV. Many of the volunteers and case workers at this project are also living with HIV and are happy to help the newly diagnosed navigate the public healthcare system, and clear up any questions or worries they might have about living with HIV.
MSMPOZ is especially helpful is you plan on pursuing treatment through a public hospital, as they can also help advise you on which Hospitals and Klinik Kesihatan's would be best for you to go to, and can even help provide you an escort if you'd like to request it.