Word: accompagnateur
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Farmer is, above all, a gifted clinician, and he developed in Haiti something he calls "the P.I.H. model," a formula for administering first-class health care in dirt-poor settings. Every AIDS or TB patient is assigned a paid health worker, or accompagnateur--generally a friend, relative or neighbor--who will handle the drugs and make sure they are taken on schedule. The patient is also given what the doctors hope will be enough food for a family of five. "You can't take these meds on an empty stomach," Farmer explains, "and you can't treat a wasting disease...
...genocide widow with two children, has gained 9 lbs. but complains that pain from shingles makes it hard for her to work. Damascene, 14, has put on an astonishing 22 lbs., but Farmer senses that something's wrong; the boy's belly is distended with fluid. He gives the accompagnateur 2,000 francs (about $4) for transportation to return for further tests. The next day he drains Damascene's belly and diagnoses TB that has moved beyond the lungs. With proper treatment, says Farmer, the child will live long enough to have children...
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