HIV Management in George
Dr Ethan Chellan at NeoHealth, Suite 12, Prince Vintcent Square, Gloucester Avenue, George Central. Walking distance from Mediclinic George.
Provided by Dr Ethan Chellan, MBChB (Stellenbosch University), Diploma in HIV Management (CMSA).
Confidential HIV care. No judgment, no delay. All consultations billed as routine, with your consent required before any disclosure to medical aid.
What this is
NeoHealth is a private general practice in George Central. Within our general practice, Dr Ethan Chellan offers full-spectrum HIV care, drawing on the Diploma in HIV Management (CMSA), a postgraduate qualification from the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa representing over 1 000 credit points of advanced HIV-specific training. It is one of three areas where he holds formal postgraduate qualifications, alongside Child Health and Mental Health.
The care available includes HIV testing, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), initiation and ongoing management of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and HIV care in pregnancy. Routine STI testing is offered alongside HIV care, with the same confidentiality. We accept new patients and transfers from other practices.
Baseline and monitoring HIV bloods drawn at the practice (CD4, viral load, kidney and liver function, hepatitis serology) are sent to the laboratory in the same building as NeoHealth, with results typically back the next working day. Once you are settled on treatment, PrEP follow-ups and routine reviews via telehealth are available so quarterly check-ins do not require travel into the rooms.
Every consultation is booked and billed confidentially as a routine consultation. Any disclosure to your medical aid, required for chronic HIV treatment to be registered as a Prescribed Minimum Benefit (PMB) or Chronic Illness Benefit (CIB), only happens with your explicit, written consent and at a point in care where it is clinically indicated.
The care we provide
HIV testing
Confidential HIV testing with current laboratory-based methods. 4th-generation antigen/antibody testing is the gold standard and can detect infection from about 13 to 20 days after exposure. Rapid point-of-care testing is also available where faster results are needed. Positive results are confirmed, counselled, and followed through to treatment, all within the same practice relationship.
Read the full HIV testing guidePost-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
PEP is a short course of antiretroviral medication that significantly reduces the risk of HIV infection after a possible exposure. It must be started within 72 hours, ideally within 24 hours. If you think you have had a possible exposure, call 044 868 0707 and ask to be booked as soon as possible. For confidentiality reasons, please discuss PEP only by phone or in person, not over WhatsApp or email. Dr Chellan will assess exposure risk, run baseline tests, and initiate PEP the same day where clinically indicated.
Read the full PEP guidePre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
PrEP is daily antiretroviral medication taken by HIV-negative people at ongoing risk of HIV acquisition. Used consistently, oral PrEP is over 99% effective at preventing HIV from sex. PrEP is appropriate for anyone who believes they would benefit. Starting PrEP involves a baseline consultation, HIV and hepatitis B testing, kidney function tests, and monitoring every three months.
Read the full PrEP guideStarting HIV treatment
Modern HIV treatment means most people can expect a near-normal life and, once the virus is suppressed, cannot transmit HIV to sexual partners (U=U: Undetectable = Untransmittable). A first consultation typically covers history, baseline bloods (CD4, viral load, kidney and liver function, hepatitis B and C screening, syphilis), and a discussion of which treatment regimen fits your situation.
Read the full HIV treatment guideContinuing HIV treatment, transfers and ongoing care
If you are already on ART and want to transfer care to NeoHealth, whether for convenience, privacy, or because you want a GP who specialises in HIV, we accept transfers routinely. Bring your most recent viral load, CD4 count, and current prescription. Routine HIV follow-up generally involves a viral load and CD4 every 6 months once stable, with annual screening for common comorbidities.
Read the full long-term HIV management guideHIV in pregnancy
With appropriate antenatal care and antiretroviral treatment, women living with HIV can have healthy pregnancies and deliver HIV-negative babies. Dr Chellan manages HIV in pregnancy as part of combined care with Dr Lakay's antenatal consultations, including optimising viral suppression before delivery and planning safe infant feeding.
Read the full HIV in pregnancy guideHow medical aid and medication work
For medical aid patients:HIV treatment is a Prescribed Minimum Benefit (PMB) and, once registered, is covered as a Chronic Illness Benefit (CIB) by most South African medical aids. NeoHealth handles the registration paperwork with your scheme. Monthly medication is then collected from your scheme's Designated Service Provider (DSP) pharmacy in George, or delivered directly to an address of your choice via Medipost courier, a discreet, secure, tracked pharmacy delivery service used nationally for chronic medications.
For self-paying / cash patients: Chronic ART can be prescribed and collected at a private pharmacy, or, where cost is a barrier, we refer patients to the nearest public clinic for free-of-charge ART initiation and supply. The clinical care relationship continues at NeoHealth in parallel, you do not have to choose between affordability and quality.
No aspect of this pathway involves employers, family members on dependent medical aid accounts, or anyone else. Medical aid claims are processed under standard confidentiality. If there are specific concerns about household or workplace confidentiality, we can discuss these at the first consultation and adjust the approach.
Who this is for
- Anyone in George and the surrounding Garden Route seeking confidential HIV testing, PEP, PrEP, or ongoing care
- Newly diagnosed patients wanting to start treatment with an experienced family GP
- Patients already on ART wanting to transfer care to a GP with postgraduate HIV qualification
- People at risk of HIV considering PrEP for the first time
- Anyone worried about a possible HIV exposure in the past 72 hours (call the practice as soon as possible)
- Pregnant women living with HIV needing antenatal HIV care co-ordinated with Dr Lakay
How consultations work
An HIV consultation at NeoHealth typically runs 20 to 30 minutes for routine follow-up, 45 minutes for initiation or transfer visits. Dr Chellan's approach is unhurried and conversational: the plan follows the history, not the other way round.
- Booking: online 24/7, WhatsApp, or phone. For PEP, call the practice so we can prioritise the booking.
- Confidentiality: consultations are booked and billed as routine. Disclosure to medical aid happens only with your consent, at the point in care where it is clinically indicated.
- Medical aid: most SA medical aids accepted. PMB/CIB registration handled by the practice.
- Self-paying / cash: accepted. Fees available on our fees page.
About Dr Ethan Chellan
Dr Ethan Chellan is a co-founder of NeoHealth. He holds an MBChB from Stellenbosch University and two postgraduate diplomas from the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, in HIV Management and in Child Health. He also holds FPD certifications in telemedicine and mental health.
The Diploma in HIV Management (CMSA) is an advanced clinical qualification recognised across South Africa. It requires candidates to demonstrate mastery across the full spectrum of HIV care, diagnosis, ART initiation, treatment monitoring, opportunistic infection management, and complex case work, with formal examination by the Colleges. Very few GPs in the Garden Route hold this qualification.
Dr Chellan brings an unhurried, non-judgmental approach to HIV care, shaped by years of clinical experience in rural Eastern Cape district hospitals and tertiary referral centres before co-founding NeoHealth.
Read more about Dr ChellanFrequently asked questions
Can my GP manage my HIV?
Yes. NeoHealth provides full HIV care under Dr Ethan Chellan, who holds the Diploma in HIV Management (CMSA). This covers testing, starting and managing antiretroviral treatment, PEP, PrEP, and ongoing monitoring. Most people living with HIV in South Africa receive their care from a GP or primary care clinic rather than an HIV specialist; the SA HIV Clinicians Society explicitly frames primary care as the appropriate setting for routine HIV management.
What does HIV testing cost at NeoHealth?
HIV testing is included in a standard consultation. Rapid finger-prick tests give a result during the appointment. If a confirmatory test is needed, that result returns within 1 to 2 working days from the pathology laboratory. Self-paying patients pay our standard consultation fee. Medical aid patients are billed per their plan.
Is my HIV care confidential?
Yes. HIV care follows the same confidentiality framework as all medical care under HPCSA Booklet 5 and the South African National Health Act. Records are stored securely and not shared without your written consent, except where the law specifically requires it (notifiable medical conditions in defined contexts). Results are discussed privately with you, not over WhatsApp or unsecured channels.
How quickly can I start treatment after a positive test?
Treatment can start the same day or within 24 to 48 hours where clinically safe, in line with current SA HIV Clinicians Society same-day initiation guidance. We arrange baseline bloods (CD4 count, viral load, kidney function, liver function), screen for active opportunistic infection, and start a first-line antiretroviral regimen unless there is a specific reason to delay. Early treatment improves long-term health and reduces onward transmission risk to zero once the viral load is undetectable.
What is the difference between PEP and PrEP?
PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) is a 28-day course of antiretrovirals started within 72 hours of a possible HIV exposure, used to prevent infection after a single risk event. PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is daily antiretrovirals taken before exposure, used by people with ongoing risk to prevent infection. PEP is for emergencies; PrEP is for ongoing prevention. NeoHealth provides both, with full counselling and follow-up.
Can I transfer my HIV care to NeoHealth from another clinic?
Yes. Bring your current antiretroviral regimen details, your most recent viral load and CD4 results if you have them, and any allergy or co-morbidity information. We continue your current regimen unless there is a clinical reason to change it. The transfer consultation reviews your treatment, issues a continuation script, and arranges your next monitoring bloods.
Does HIV treatment work in pregnancy?
Yes. Modern HIV care reduces mother-to-child transmission risk to under 1% when treatment is started early and the viral load is suppressed throughout pregnancy. Dr Chellan handles the HIV side of antenatal care, with Dr Lakay covering pregnancy and women's health. We coordinate obstetric referral for delivery and continue ART through breastfeeding per the current South African PMTCT guidance.
What is U=U? Can I really not transmit HIV if my viral load is undetectable?
Yes. Undetectable equals untransmittable (U=U) is established science. When your viral load has been undetectable on treatment for at least six months and remains undetectable, you cannot sexually transmit HIV. U=U is endorsed by the SA HIV Clinicians Society, the WHO, and the CDC, and forms a central premise of modern HIV care.
Where to find us
NeoHealth
Suite 12, Prince Vintcent Square
Gloucester Avenue, George Central, 6530
Western Cape, South Africa
Walking distance from Mediclinic George. Undercover parking available in Prince Vintcent Square.
Urgent PEP enquiries: call 044 868 0707 during opening hours. For confidentiality reasons, please do not send PEP-related enquiries by WhatsApp or email. If you need PEP and the practice is closed, contact your nearest emergency unit. Most public and private emergency departments in George can initiate PEP overnight.