Author's response to reviews Title: The prevalence and functional impact of musculoskeletal conditions amongst clients of a primary health care facility in an under-resourced area of Cape Town. Authors:

The prevalence and functional impact of musculoskeletal conditions amongst clients of a primary health care facility in an under-resourced area of Cape Town

BACKGROUND The extent of disease burden of musculoskeletal conditions (MSC) not due to injury has not been well determined in sub-Saharan Africa. The 1999 Global Burden of Disease study estimated the prevalence of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis to be 150/100,000 compared to 1,500/100,000 in Europe. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of MSC and the functional imp...

An Evaluation of the Role of an Intermediate Care Facility in the Continuum of Care in Western Cape, South Africa

Background A comprehensive primary healthcare (PHC) approach requires clear referral and continuity of care pathways. South Africa is a lower-middle income country (LMIC) that lacks data on the role of intermediate care (IC) services in the health system. This study described the model of service provision at one facility in Cape Town, including reason for admission, the mix of services and ski...

Prioritizing Healthcare Delivery in a Conflict Zone; Comment on “TB/HIV Co-Infection Care in Conflict-Affected Settings: A Mapping of Health Facilities in the Goma Area, Democratic Republic of Congo”

Nowhere are the barriers to a functional health infrastructure more clearly on display than in the Goma region of Democratic Republic of Congo. Kaboru et al. report poorly integrated services for HIV and TB in this war-torn region. Priorities in conflict zones include provision of security, shelter, food, clean water and prevention of sexual violence. In Goma, immediate health priorities includ...

Author's response to reviews Title: The impact of Provider-Initiated (Opt-out) HIV Testing and Counselling of patients with sexually transmitted infection in Cape Town, South Africa. A controlled trial Authors:

Between HIV diagnosis and initiation of antiretroviral therapy: assessing the effectiveness of care for people living with HIV in the public primary care service in Cape Town, South Africa.

OBJECTIVE To assess the quality of pre-antiretroviral therapy (ART) care in Cape Town and its continuity with HIV counselling and testing (HCT) and ART. METHODS The scale-up of the HCT, pre-ART and ART service platform and programmatic support in Cape was described. Data from the August 2010 routine annual HIV/TB/STI evaluation, which included interviews with 133 facility managers and folder ...