By Richard Mulonga
The subject of Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) in Zambia draws a lot of interest from many people. This is so because issues of HIV and AIDS are no longer restricted to the health realm but have also taken centre stage on the socio-economic platform of Zambia.
Many AIDS activists have been urging Zambians to know their HIV status through VCT but many people have been snubbing these services for different reasons. This is despite the fact that research has shown that knowing ones HIV status is important because it allows individuals to manage the virus knowledgeably.
The abstinence from VCT services has caused some people to live in self-denial for fear of being stigmatized in society. But self denial is dangerous when one is suffering from HIV/AIDS because it results in that person denying him or herself the right to care and treatment that is readily available in Zambia.
Many people shy away from VCT for various reasons, one of which is fear of stigma – real or imagined. They would rather treat diseases such as malaria and coughs. Some patients only decide to find out their HIV status when it is too late and their immune system is completely damaged.
The most unfortunate part of all this is that even people who are literate, those who work in middle class jobs and some high profile personalities, are also part of the group shunning VCT.
“When one knows his or her HIV status, it is easier for that person to know what lifestyle he or she should live. One will be able to know how to prevent infection, re-infection, infecting others, or simply how to live positively, in the event that one is HIV positive” says Zambia AIDS Network (ZNAN) executive director Elizabeth Mataka.
If one is negative, he or she will be able to know what preventative measures to put in place to protect them from getting infected. The role of VCT is very important and beneficial because knowledge is power. When you are empowered with knowledge, you can be in a position to help yourself as well as others.
Stigma remains a stumbling block in all this. Self stigma and stigma from others if one has gone for VCT and if the result is positive is what prevents some people from accessing these services. Yet in all fairness, of what benefit is the fear of stigma if it leads to your inaction and ultimately your progression from having HIV to full blown AIDS? Is it not better to face the challenges that come with stigma and prolong your life? It is better to know one’s HIV status in good time rather than wait when it is too late to start treating AIDS.
Statistics have shown that recently, the number of people going for VCT has increased in Zambia. But the number of people staying away from VCT is also equally high.This calls for more efforts to encourage people in both rural and urban areas to utilize VCT services and know their HIV status.
Fili eko tuleya. I wish these guys are prepared for this action about to be taken. Otherwise depression will claim some lives.
ilatinye mwe wudnt blame thoz that fear,but 4 thoz that have taken the step that is very encouraging
I must confess I haven’t seen a VCT anywhere in my area. Are they hidden things?
Gone are the days twaletantama panse pa Buchi clinic( akaswende), pretending to be reading a newspaper, shielding away from curious passersby. We have really come a long way, fathers! :d/
I wish the government should amend the law which every individual should be doing HIV TESTS why only do it when entering an institution , why cant we be doing even when at place of work i hope this would have helped in bringing the rate of AIDS in Zambia.:(
This whole issue of HIV?AIDS has been highly stigmatised by the medical proffession and politicians by insisting that one is counselled and tested before they get treatment .The general populus has moved on and many have accepted HIV/AIDS as part of us but the medical practitioners/politicians have lagged behind.There is ,honestly,nothing wrong for a doctor that is suspecting a chronically ill patient as having HIV/AIDS,to test and confirm the status of his patient(without the patients consent!!!) and give treatment and/or counselling later because that why the patient left his home to go and see the doctor in the first place and that is the normal way of treating any patient from whatever ailment.Asking for the patients consent is betrayal of the patients trust and stigmatisation .
ACTT Now!
Abstinence (if you can), Condoms (if you can’t), Testing (universal) and Treatment (free to all) Now – will eradicated HIV/AIDS. I would advocate condoms at anytime anyone has sex without procreation in mind, whether married or not! That is why even marriage has become a high risk situation in Zambia. Marriage is almost like licence to murder. I believe that counselling now has no role to play and Testing should be confidential and done anonymously i.e. only the person tested knows their result. This is easy to do. Simply allocate a number, provide a blood sample with the number, send to the lab and the lab puts the result in a sealed envelop with the number. no one should be able to associate the result with a name. Counselling can be voluntary.
Dear Bloggers don’t you think that LT is being backward in failing to accept that there is nothing wrong in the word S.E.X? Why does it have to be edited out? This kind of secretism and moknish approach to this biological activity is what leads to this spread of HIV/AIDS. If we talked openly about S.E.X as they do in Europe we would not be in this mess. Dear LT blanking out the word will not help us educate one another on these very important subjects that have a direct bearing on the development of Zambia. In actual fact if it wasn’t for AIDS, Zambia would have reached its millenium development goals this year.
#6 ICEBERG
Imagine you want to buy eggs. You leave your home and go to the shop looking for eggs. There are five varieties in the shop; free range, organic, etc. Without your consent the shop keeper packs some for you and sells them to you. You protest that the eggs you wanted aren’t the ones he has packed! ‘Didn’t you leave your home to come for eggs?’ He retorts. You see, by law, every procedure that is performed on a patient must be consented to otherwise it is an assault. It was paternalistic medicine that made doctors do all sorts of tests on patients without their consent, even implied. Once you approach a patient with a needle to breech their skin, you could be sued for aggravated assault if you do a test the patient did not want.
People shy away due to unprofessional conducts by staff. Staff should be reminded that all results should be for themselves and recipients. Confidential information is not meant for public. We need to change the habits of kachipa in order to save others. I
What is the problem?
Do it the Mapara way of UK!
A Zedian doctor set up a Community Resource Centre (VCT incognito) in London to test for
hypertension, diabetes, chlamydia and HIV.
Did the people come for HIV testing?
Yes! In droves, while they trickled in for HIV testing in National Health Services (NHS) VCTs.
The Zedian doctor says, the more the tests the less stigma, apprehension, gossip and finger pointing.
What did NHS do in London?
Use the Zedian doctor’s style from Botswana and Zambia.
Walya iwe Mapara!
Zambia can learn from its Zedian son!
Proud to be Zedian!
:)>. we just av to take up the stap and go for vct, we all knwthat hiv is ussually transmitted through sex fyanshituchita nga tulatina