The Task Of Taking The Test

HIV/AIDS is a critical developmental and social issue in our country, as well as a human tragedy of unprecedented proportions.

In the media we are all, as responsible citizens, encouraged to

find out our HIV status in order that we can lead safe, healthy and

productive lives.

I wish to take an HIV test anonymously and so this morning I

called the New Start telephone number given in the 'Classified'

section of your newspaper.

 

This turned out not to be a clinic where I could go for testing,

nor even an HIV/AIDS advice centre.

 

The person who answered the phone said he would give me the

number of a place I could go to take the test; I then called this

second number and was informed by the unhelpful woman who answered

that no HIV testing was offered by her place of work, only HIV/AIDS

counseling, but that I must call a clinic.

 

I asked her to give the number of the clinic nearest my place of

work, or tell me where it is located, but she just said that it is

"somewhere in Robert Mugabe" and that I should find the number in

the telephone directory.

 

I then searched through the most recent telephone directory in

all the obvious places, but found no number for a clinic in the

Robert Mugabe Avenue area.

 

Getting increasingly frustrated, I called the unhelpful woman

again and asked her if she wouldn't please see if she didn't have

the number for the clinic in question somewhere in her office but

she bluntly replied that she had no such number and that her

offices were an HIV/AIDS counseling service only and didn't do

tests.

 

It seemed to me very strange that a place that is supposed to be

helping people with HIV/AIDS would not give out the number of a

place where one might go to discover one's status in the first

place, but she seemed unlikely to be of any further help so I ended

the call and decided rather to try the original number given for

New Start again.

 

Having called the New Start number a second time, I said that I

wished to speak with a manager and make a complaint about the

service I had received.

 

I was placed on hold for a number of minutes and then cut

off.

 

I finally called the only number in the telephone directory

listed under HIV/AIDS counseling in the yellow pages section, only

to be told that they also offered no testing but that a place in

Hosea Kutako Drive did.

 

I called the number they gave me for the Hosea Kutako Drive

clinic and although it rang for a number of minutes, no one

answered.

 

I have now made 6 phone calls and am no nearer to discovering

where my nearest New Start testing clinic might be.

 

I wonder how people who cannot afford to make this many calls,

or who cannot devote a great deal of time to doing so, are supposed

to carry out what ought to be a simple task.

 

And why can't two organisations that are supposed to be

assisting people to discover their status - and I assume receive

funding to do so - just tell me where I must go? It's no wonder

that many of our people are still not aware of their own HIV/AIDS

status.

 

If my own experience this morning is anything to go by, the

institutions tasked with facilitating HIV/AIDS testing simply

cannot be bothered to do their work at all.

 

HIV-Status Unknown Via e-mail

 

I wish to take an HIV test anonymously and so this morning I called

the New Start telephone number given in the 'Classified' section of

your newspaper.This turned out not to be a clinic where I could go

for testing, nor even an HIV/AIDS advice centre.The person who

answered the phone said he would give me the number of a place I

could go to take the test; I then called this second number and was

informed by the unhelpful woman who answered that no HIV testing

was offered by her place of work, only HIV/AIDS counseling, but

that I must call a clinic.I asked her to give the number of the

clinic nearest my place of work, or tell me where it is located,

but she just said that it is "somewhere in Robert Mugabe" and that

I should find the number in the telephone directory.I then searched

through the most recent telephone directory in all the obvious

places, but found no number for a clinic in the Robert Mugabe

Avenue area.Getting increasingly frustrated, I called the unhelpful

woman again and asked her if she wouldn't please see if she didn't

have the number for the clinic in question somewhere in her office

but she bluntly replied that she had no such number and that her

offices were an HIV/AIDS counseling service only and didn't do

tests.It seemed to me very strange that a place that is supposed to

be helping people with HIV/AIDS would not give out the number of a

place where one might go to discover one's status in the first

place, but she seemed unlikely to be of any further help so I ended

the call and decided rather to try the original number given for

New Start again.Having called the New Start number a second time, I

said that I wished to speak with a manager and make a complaint

about the service I had received.I was placed on hold for a number

of minutes and then cut off.I finally called the only number in the

telephone directory listed under HIV/AIDS counseling in the yellow

pages section, only to be told that they also offered no testing

but that a place in Hosea Kutako Drive did.I called the number they

gave me for the Hosea Kutako Drive clinic and although it rang for

a number of minutes, no one answered.I have now made 6 phone calls

and am no nearer to discovering where my nearest New Start testing

clinic might be.I wonder how people who cannot afford to make this

many calls, or who cannot devote a great deal of time to doing so,

are supposed to carry out what ought to be a simple task.And why

can't two organisations that are supposed to be assisting people to

discover their status - and I assume receive funding to do so -

just tell me where I must go? It's no wonder that many of our

people are still not aware of their own HIV/AIDS status.If my own

experience this morning is anything to go by, the institutions

tasked with facilitating HIV/AIDS testing simply cannot be bothered

to do their work at all.HIV-Status Unknown Via e-mail

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