Ms. Hakachima says people in the area should overcome fear, ignorance, denial, stigma and discrimination as these were barriers to HIV Counselling and Testing.
She said government provides free drugs that can improve quality of life for HIV infected individuals adding that VCT was being offered freely at all health facilities in the District.
Ms. Hakachima said this in a speech at the commemoration of International Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) Day in Chikankata recently.
She said the Government of the Republic of Zambia has embarked on integrating HIV counselling and testing in order to increase uptake.
She noted that the areas of integration include voluntary medical male circumcision, Tuberculosis, Cancer and Mother and Child health services.
And speaking in a separate interview a woman living with HIV in Chikankata District, Jackeline Joule aged 33 years encouraged other women to get tested.
She said going for VCT really helped her in knowing her status and delivering two HIV Negative children because of her openness to health workers.
She said it is very possible for women who are HIV Positive to deliver healthy children once they know their status because the health workers will better understand how to handle and take care of such women.
hmmm apa ni Schrodinger’s cat unless all evidence says otherwise. but thanx full stop.
Well it is up to an individual and really people should not be encouraged to go for vct. In the western world they do not even talk about this issue and yet there are many people living with the virus. The more you do the testing the more money they get period!