Published by the government of Zimbabwe
21 April 2008
Harare — The Zimbabwe HIV and Aids Activists' Union has urged organisations in the fight against the pandemic to desist from testing people when they cannot offer post-testing services.
Speaking at the launch of the Treatment Campaign Programme in Bulawayo last week, ZHAAU president Mr Bernard Nyathi said organisations like the New Start Centre should desist from testing people when they cannot provide adequate services like CD-4 count tests.
"When a person tests positive, the next thing needed is treatment, so testing organisations should see to it that the people they have tested receive enough treatment.
"Testing without treatment is a death sentence," he said.
Many people in Bulawayo expressed concern over lack of treatment services.
All the CD-4 count machines in Bulawayo's Government hospitals are currently down yet many people are getting tested everyday, and need to undergo these tests.
Mr Nyathi said that these organisations should not expose the people when they cannot offer treatment to them because they will burden the Government since many people will have to depend upon Government hospitals as private hospitals are expensive.
They should introduce CD-4 count machines at their organisations so that they test and treat people.
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Whether post-testing services can or cannot be offered, the Zimbabwe HIV and Aids Activists' Union should not be urging other organizations to abandon testing people. What is the use of their union then? The country needs to know how many people have the HIV virus and how many are suffering of Aids.Without figures, how can Zimbabwe get other nations to come forward with drug assistance? Most important, how can the nation fathom the enormity of the disease and prepare itself for the patients it needs to treat? I would further ask how can the people protect themselves, try and stop the spread,or even go for treatment if they have not been tested and do not know that the are infected? How can families help their sick if they are playing the guessing game? Zimbabwe will not always be ruled by a power-hungry, uncaring,vicious and incompetent tyrant Mugabe who prefers to amass guns instead of spending that money to help his people. One day ,and I hope very soon, the Zimbabwean nation will have a competent government for ALL the people and that as many HIV and Aids patients who have been tested, will be able to receive the treatment they need. That is my dream anyway. Give up and this disease will wipe us out.
The PatientsLikeMe HIV community would like to reach out to those in Zimbabwe who are seeking on-line community support for improving quality of living with HIV. Visit us at http://www.patientslikeme.com/welcome/community/hiv.