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Access to Treatment

Observation and treatment of HIV infection are available at almost all research and training hospitals and university hospitals. When choosing your treatment center, especially if you live in big cities like İstanbul, Ankara and İzmir, and if there are more than one centers in your city, we suggest you choose the most accessible and the closest one to your social life. Remember that HIV infection is a chronic health condition and you’ll have regular follow-ups. You can facilitate your hospital follow-ups by choosing a center close to your work and social life.

In some cities where treatment and follow-up are not available, your doctor can forward you to a treatment center in the closest city. In case of not receiving such forwarding, or forwarded to big cities like İstanbul, Ankara and İzmir, you can contact our association to find out the center closest to you.

HIV infection treatment is standardized by Ministry of Health’s Guideline for HIV/AIDS Diagnosis and Treatment. Follow-ups and treatments in all centers are performed based on this guideline. Doctors also treat the patients as per this guideline.

Unless there’s a specific reason, you can get the same treatment in centers closer to you instead of going to distant cities like İstanbul, Ankara or İzmir.

First thing you must do after choosing your treatment center is to schedule an appointment at the polyclinic. You can schedule an appointment by calling Alo 182 Central Hospital Appointment System, or via its website at www.mhrs.gov.tr. In case you can’t schedule an appointment at Ege University HIV/AIDS Research and Application Center, Hacettepe University Treatment and Research Center, Istanbul University’s Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine Infectious Diseases Clinical Microbiology Polyclinic, Marmara Üniversity Faculty of Medicine Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Polyclinic, you can call the centers.

During your first appointment, your doctor will ask about your medical history and request a series of tests. Please do not get intimidated by the number of required tests. This first stage is for your doctor to get to know you and collect detailed information on your physical health. Your regular follow-ups won’t be such thorough. Your doctor will perform a general scan to lay the base for your following treatment steps.

From that point on, your doctor will be your closest confidant. Never hesitate to talk to your doctor and to ask questions. The more correctly you inform your doctor, the more correct your treatment will be. Remember that no information you share with your doctor is shared with third parties or institutions. All provided information will be kept confidential.

You might get the feeling that your doctor doesn’t spare you enough time due to their busy schedule, or doesn’t give you special attention. First off all, you should acknowledge that as a person living with HIV, you don’t require any special attention. Your doctor’s medical attention towards you is enough. No need to feel like the infection is rare, and that you have a vulnerable and sensitive disease. HIV infection is not a very special, extraordinary disease medically. In the first steps of your treatment plan, you might get easily offended due to such opinions about the infection. Give yourself time to become normal.

Since the hospital appointment system is offered in Turkish, and that most hospitals are not capable of offering services in your language, you can call our refugee hotline to schedule an appointment or to contact your doctor.