Fewer male clients access VCT than women

Fewer male clients than women are reported to be accessing Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) in Gwembe district, an organisation called IntraHealth has disclosed.

Of the 23,872 total number of clients from 2009 to April, 2012, only 8,800 males were counselled and tested, representing 37 per cent as compared to their female counterparts who represented 63 per cent at 15,072.

Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded a five-year project to IntraHealth to provide VCT and related services to under-served populations in remote areas and Gwembe district is one of the five districts that have benefited from the project that has been running from September 30, 2007 and expected to phase out on September 30, 2012.

Other districts include Luangwa, Namwala, Siavonga and Kalomo.

Giving a presention during IntraHealth VCT Programme and Prevention with Positives (PwP) Project Progress Review meeting, IntraHealth’s Monitoring and Evaluation officer, Fred Simwinji said his organization is saddened with the number of male clients accessing VCT in the district.

Mr Simwinji said in four consecutive years, IntraHealth has continued to record fewer male clients at 45 per cent and 55 per cent female in 2009; 40 per cent male and 60 per cent female in 2010; 33 per cent male and 67 per cent female in 2011; and 35 per cent male and 65 per cent female in 2012.

He said there is need for concerted efforts to ensure that more male clients access VCT.

And Gwembe District Commissioner, Alice Mwiinga, has called for action on all identified HIV and AIDS measures requiring intervention.

Speaking when she officially opened the IntraHealth VCT review meeting at Mayfair yesterday, Mrs Mwiinga said there is need to focus on areas where the country is facing greatest risks of HIV infections in order to achieve high impact results.

The DC noted that even if the country has recorded a 14 per cent reduction in national HIV infection prevalence rate, the infection rate is still too high for a country with a thin resource envelop.

Mrs Mwiinga said 82,000 HIV infections at national level occur annually, contributing to the expansion of the pool of people living with the virus, thereby increasing the expenditure on treatment and care.

She has called for the use of knowledge from research efforts and promotion of community based VCT and Prevention with Positives (PwP) programmes in order to curtail new HIV infections in the country.

“Let us close the taps of new infections so that we do not continue mopping the floor while the taps continue running,” she said and called for a vigorous campaign to encourage men to consider accessing VCT services.

Mrs Mwiinga further called for adherence to prescribed HIV treatment to reduce the risk of HIV transmission and to reduce complicated and expensive way to treat HIV.

She commended HIV implementing partners, the civil society and Ministry of Health officials for providing necessary logistics, scaling up HIV prevention, treatment and palliative care in the district.

ZANIS