AIDS treatment at State hospitals ‘a lottery’

NAMIBIA’s biggest organisation of people living with HIV-AIDS, Lironga Eparu, has described health-care at State clinics and hospitals as “a lottery” and called it “unacceptable”.

The organisation released a national study last week in which it reflects the feelings of 214 people living with HIV-AIDS. The study was conducted in September last year with the majority of participants being between the ages of 26 and 40.”Everyone has the right to receive a certain standard of health-care throughout the country.Health-care for HIV-positive people at State clinics and hospitals is currently a lottery, determined by where you are and which health-care workers attend to you,” the study said.The AIDS organisation said many positive people were not aware of anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs), while others accused health workers of discrimination and maltreatment.”In Rundu, participants said nurses put HIV+ patients in one particular ward that was nicknamed tantaweka, a derogatory term that suggests that people there are on their death beds,” it said.Lironga Eparu raised the issue about the ward with Health Minister Dr Libertina Amathila and the situation has apparently since improved.However, participants in other towns complained about similar treatment.The study said information on ARVs has not even reached some of the positive people, even in towns where the drugs were available.”Much greater awareness needs to be raised around ARVs, treatment options in general and related research.However, it is important to strike a balance between giving hope – hope being one of the main factors that motivates HIV+ people to stay alive for as long as possible – and raising people’s expectations unrealistically,” it said.The report called for specific attention on how people were informed about the prevention of mother-to-child transmission initiatives, as some positive people started assuming that it was now “safe” to conceive babies.The findings also suggested that home-based care in Namibia was “patchy”, while people living with HIV were being exploited by organisations who wanted to raise funds.The objective that all Namibians have access to professional and trustworthy voluntary HIV-counselling and testing services “remains a dream”, according to Lironga Eparu.”Trust in counsellors, particularly those working in State health-care facilities, appears to be desperately low, probably because of the lack of confidentiality – both real and perceived,” the report said.Dr Norbert Forster, Under Secretary in the Ministry of Health, said the brief anecdotes and quotations in the report expressed “anger, despair, anxiety and dismay.”But they also show affection and confidence and hope and solidarity – and above all – sheer will-power and determination to keep on fighting and not to give up,” he said when he opened the meeting where the report was launched.The study was conducted in September last year with the majority of participants being between the ages of 26 and 40.”Everyone has the right to receive a certain standard of health-care throughout the country.Health-care for HIV-positive people at State clinics and hospitals is currently a lottery, determined by where you are and which health-care workers attend to you,” the study said.The AIDS organisation said many positive people were not aware of anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs), while others accused health workers of discrimination and maltreatment.”In Rundu, participants said nurses put HIV+ patients in one particular ward that was nicknamed tantaweka, a derogatory term that suggests that people there are on their death beds,” it said.Lironga Eparu raised the issue about the ward with Health Minister Dr Libertina Amathila and the situation has apparently since improved.However, participants in other towns complained about similar treatment.The study said information on ARVs has not even reached some of the positive people, even in towns where the drugs were available.”Much greater awareness needs to be raised around ARVs, treatment options in general and related research.However, it is important to strike a balance between giving hope – hope being one of the main factors that motivates HIV+ people to stay alive for as long as possible – and raising people’s expectations unrealistically,” it said.The report called for specific attention on how people were informed about the prevention of mother-to-child transmission initiatives, as some positive people started assuming that it was now “safe” to conceive babies.The findings also suggested that home-based care in Namibia was “patchy”, while people living with HIV were being exploited by organisations who wanted to raise funds.The objective that all Namibians have access to professional and trustworthy voluntary HIV-counselling and testing services “remains a dream”, according to Lironga Eparu.”Trust in counsellors, particularly those working in State health-care facilities, appears to be desperately low, probably because of the lack of confidentiality – both real and perceived,” the report said.Dr Norbert Forster, Under Secretary in the Ministry of Health, said the brief anecdotes and quotations in the report expressed “anger, despair, anxiety and dismay.”But they also show affection and confidence and hope and solidarity – and above all – sheer will-power and determination to keep on fighting and not to give up,” he said when he opened the meeting where the report was launched.