By Charles Tjatindi
WINDHOEK
Despite ongoing campaigns, training and education regarding HIV/AIDS, most people living with the virus continue to be discriminated against and stigmatized.
Medical doctors are the latest addition to the list of those alleged to be discriminating against people living with HIV.
This was revealed by the Executive Director of Lironga Eparu, Emma Tuahepa, at a function recently. Tuahepa made reference to one of the organization’s members who was allegedly denied medical treatment at a State hospital due to her status.
The member asked not to be referred to by her real name as she was not living publicly with the virus. Johanna* told the function that she urgently needed an operation on her eyes to restore her weakening sight, but was refused an operation by doctors at a state hospital after they realized she was HIV positive.
“They just told me that it will be a complicated operation because of my status. They never explained what they meant,” noted a tearful Johanna.
Johanna went into a coma due to illness in 2005, a year after she was diagnosed as HIV positive. After recovering from the coma, she discovered she couldn’t read, as words merely blurred in front of her eyes. She left her job later that year, after a cataract was discovered in her right eye. Shortly afterwards, her sight deteriorated. That is when she attempted to get the doctors to operate on her in order to restore her sight.
“After booking in for theatre, I was later told they could not proceed with the operation. They said because of my status, the operation will not be successful,” noted Johanna.
For close to two years, Johanna tried in vain to be operated on. In a last ditch effort to regain her sight, Johanna approached Lironga Eparu for assistance.
With the help of the organization, Johanna got a private doctor who agreed to carry out the operation at practically no cost. The organization however had to solicit funds for the payment of basic treatment fees, such as medicines, consulting fees, etc.
First to respond to the call was the Mofuka family, who saw the need to assist another member of the community by donating N$5 000 to the organization to be used for this exercise.
Telecom Namibia also came on board with a donation of N$30 000 to the organization. Part of the money (N$11 000) will cover hospital expenses incurred by Johanna during the period of her operation. Johanna has since been operated on, and is slowly recovering.
“Johanna is just one such person that has had to suffer in silence because they are afraid to confront the system,” said Tuahepa.
“We want to use her story as an advocacy tool to other people in similar conditions to approach us, so we can work together in assisting them.”
Telecom Namibia’s Oiva Angula, who handed over the donation, noted that they decided to assist Johanna as everyone is affected by HIV/AIDS in one way or another.
“Telecom also bears the brunt of this pandemic. No one is spared. We all feel the pain. An employee would put in leave to bury a loved one due to this pandemic, in the meantime production stops,” said Angula.