Namwala

The network of Zambian people living with HIV/AIDS [NZP+] Namwala chapter has appealed to government to address the problems facing people living with the disease in the district.

 

And government has admitted there are loopholes in the distribution and access of ART services for people living with the disease in the district which inevitably has led to lack of adherence and more complications in treatment of opportunistic diseases.

 

During a meeting held at farmers training centre Thursday, more than 12 NZP+ called on government to look into issues such as lack of information about ART services, no routine check ups for CD4 count, congestion at the hospital due to shortage of medical staff, and long distances covered for people living with HIV/AIDS to access ART services.

 

"As people living with HIV/AIDS we are concerned that government has continued to ignore some of our pressing problems which has made our life more difficult," complained district NZP+ coordinator Ms Ruth Muchazi.

 

Ms Muchazi explained that NZP+ district chapter undertook a survey in June 2007 among 40 support group members in the district about the services and information that relates to ART and the results indicate that there was glaring evidence that most people living with HIV/AIDS had little access to ARVs.

 

 "As a district secretariat therefore we recommend that government should open up more ART centres, more health staff to be trained in ART management," said Ms Muchazi.

 

"We also recommend that mobile ART services should be encouraged to cater for those in far-flung areas in the district," added Ms Muchazi who was the first person to disclose her HIV/AIDS in 2005.

 

More than 1,000 people in the entire districts are on ART.

 

Another person living with HIV/AIDS Mr. Costain Hamaamba said long distances  sometimes 60 kilometers to  the nearest ART centres along the Namwala road adding this poses stress and lack of adherence among those on ART.

 

"We hear of government pronouncements to scale up the provision of ART services to remote areas but up to date we have not seen any action to address this problem," lamented Mr. Hamaamba.

 

And district commissioner Ms Eunice Nawa said government was looking at strategies to address all the problems besetting people living with HIV/AIDS in the district.

 

Speaking on her behalf by district administrative officer Mr. Godwin Sanjase, Ms Nawa acknowledged that long distances have made it impossible for people on ART in areas like chief Muchila's area as roads become impassible during the rain season.

 

Meanwhile district director of health Dr Charles Chishimba in response to the concern raised by NZP+ said the Danish government helped to train 20 health staff on ART management, bought laboratory equipment for newly opened ART centre at Chitongo and Moobola.

 

Dr Chishimba added that that government also bought a CD4 count Machine fro the district hospital.

 

"I believe that with this kind of help from the Danish government we should be able to improve in delivering the health needs of people living with HIV/AIDS in the district," said Dr Chishimba.

 

"But the major stabling block is the shortage of medical staff  at all the 13 health centres in the district running at 30 per cent in staffing and this has compromised on   health delivery," he added.