The Ministry of Health has disclosed that Global Fund has procured 10,000 HIV Test Kits through UNDP that are in the country and will be delivered to Medical Stores Limited.

Ministry Acting Spokesperson Dr. Tasila Pitters says the stock is projected for use in the next two months and distribution will start today, 31st March, 2016 starting with Lusaka.

Dr. Pitters said the Ministry will on 4th April, 2016 receive another consignment of 15,000 Test Kits from PEPFAR which is planned to be in stock for the next two and half months while the Churches Health Association of Zambia has provided 80 Kits.

She said the Ministry of Health will procure another consignment later on through Global Fund.

A coalition of civil society organizations recently expressed concern regarding the countrywide shortage of HIV test kits.

Recently a consortium of civil society organizations which included NZP+, the Coalition of Zambian Women Living with HIV/AIDS (COZWHA), the Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign (TALC), the Zambia Network of Religious Leaders Living with or personally affected by HIV and AIDS (ZANARELA) and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation Zambia (AHF Zambia) expressed concern over the continued shortage of the HIV test kit in the country.

The CSOs warned that unless situation was addressed, the community of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLA) would have no option but to embark on mass action.

Recent developments such as the delivery of expired test kits to facilities in February and the expiration of about 500,000 test kits in the country’s’ medical store highlighted Zambia’s poor supply chain management system. If this system is not dramatically improved there are likely to be grave consequences for the nation’s HIV/AIDS response.

15 COMMENTS

Mushota March 31, 2016 At 9:50 am

I don’t have AIDS. Never had, never ever will.

So who cares

Thanks

Bb2014
- steve March 31, 2016 At 10:13 am
  
  but you are affected!
- The Kimbanguist March 31, 2016 At 10:18 pm
  
  Mental illness is NOT better either!
Mayiji Samatowe March 31, 2016 At 10:06 am

So its not the Ministry of Health abut cooperating partners, the headline says something else while the content in the story is something else as well. mwabashani?
- Jay Jay March 31, 2016 At 10:17 am
  
  Imagine how can the govt procure via UN?
Jay Jay March 31, 2016 At 10:16 am

Everyone at the Ministry is a doctor…when we have a shortage of doctors in clinics and hospitals.
- TRUE ZAMBIAN March 31, 2016 At 11:07 am
  
  Will they bother to distribute these kits which they have not sweated for? Begging, begging is the order of the day by the govt. There is nothing that they can buy from their collected tax. What is the tax collection for? Even paying retirees, retrenched employees, suppliers and contractors you are failing.
- Vizungu March 31, 2016 At 2:33 pm
  
  You simply do not understand how the Health Supply Chain system works, READ, READ, READ..! (Heard this chant a few days ago).
Diecourse March 31, 2016 At 10:35 am

VIVA HH 2016
TRUE ZAMBIAN March 31, 2016 At 11:08 am

Will they bother to distribute these kits which they have not sweated for? Begging, begging is the order of the day by the govt. There is nothing that they can buy from their collected tax. What is the tax collection for? Even paying retirees, retrenched employees, suppliers and contractors you are failing.
mdimba March 31, 2016 At 12:15 pm

Make HIV testing compulsory plse
concerned March 31, 2016 At 12:54 pm

1. hiv testing is compulsory. 2. JSI used to purchase the kits. Their contract expired and government refused to renew it. Thats why there is this shortage. 3. Mushota even if you are not infected, you are affected somehow. You know how hiv comes. Unless if u practice total abstenance. Or never get married or avoid accidents Otherwise these kits will turn out to be of good use to you one day.
- Vizungu March 31, 2016 At 2:29 pm
  
  Who bothers to answer that twit nowadays..!?
Phiri March 31, 2016 At 3:09 pm

If 500,000 kits expired, then this amount is a drop in the ocean and people will continue suffering and queuing up when it could have been avoided
Sibiya April 1, 2016 At 7:03 pm

I never believed i would be healed someday. I want to testify on how i got cured from HIV AIDS, I got infected with HIV AIDS disease in 2014 and I have visited several Hospitals, spiritualists and pastors for cure but all to no avail, my Life was gradually coming to an end until i saw a post in a health forum about a powerful herbal Dr who casts herbal spells to cure all kinds of deadly diseases including HIV AIDS, ALS, MND, Epilepsy, Leukemia, Hepatitis, Cancer, Herpes etc, so i wrote to telling him about my illness he told me not to worry that i an going to be cured!! hmm i never believed it,, well after all the procedures and remedy given to me by this man few weeks later i started experiencing changes all over me as the Dr Boadi assured me that i have cured, after some time i went…