Lack of ARV’s is a concern to public health institutions
Mayor said HIV/AIDS was spreading fast with many young people at risk of contracting the various.
MBOMBELA – Concerns over lack of ARV tablets in public health-care institutions
were raised by members of the public during the World Aids Day
celebrations.
Organised by the Mbombela Local Municipality, this year’s
celebration attracted young and old who all shared their frustrations over a
number of health-related issues, including the roll-out of ARVs in some of the
public institutions. “Besides the shortage of ARV treatment in clinics, there is
strictly no confidentiality whatsoever in some of our clinics, because
health-care workers publicly joke about us. There are so many shortfalls we can
talk about in public health care because of some of incompetent workers who refuse to diligently execute their jobs. It’s sad because other people such as
politicians get fired for mistakes and poor services rendered by these workers,”
said an HIV activist who contracted the virus in 2005.
But in responding to
some of the issues raised by the public, the Mbombela executive mayor, Cllr
Cathy Dlamini said since HIV/Aids was spreading fast with many young people at
risk of contracting the virus, there was a need for government to host quarterly
dialogues where some of these issues could be tackled and dealt with head-on.
“We should not just meet in December and talk about this killer disease but I
believe regular meetings will help us come up with better strategies to fight
the scourge. We will engage the MEC for health with regards to concerns over
shortages of ARVs and confidentiality in public health care institutions,” she said.
She also committed to touch base with MEC Ms Candith Mashego-Dlamini
on allegations raised by the public that ARVs were being stolen from clinics and
sold on the black market. “We seriously need to investigate this because it
means that the real problem is not a shortage but that health-care workers
collude with criminals and sell the treatment for purposes of making drugs such
as cocaine and nyaope,” concluded Dlamini.
