Shoki Kandjimi
Kavango East governor Bonifatius Wakudumo says despite progress being made to fight the HIV and AIDS epidemic, the novel coronavirus pandemic has disrupted these efforts.
The governor made these remarks in a speech read on his behalf by Damian Maghambayi, the chairperson of the Kavango East Regional Council, during a belated commemoration of World AIDS Day in Mayara village in the Mukwe constituency on Friday.
“The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has not only disrupted this orderly healthcare services delivery mechanism, but also consumed the resources that were previously allocated for well-known and planned health needs,” he stated.
Wakudumo further pointed out that people on HIV treatment may have found it difficult to travel to access their treatment, while those who needed HIV testing services found it challenging to access these services due to Covid-19 restrictions and hospitals being overwhelmed by Covid-19-related cases.
Kavango East health director Timea Ngwira, in a speech read on her behalf, agreed with the governor that the deadly virus has overwhelmed health services as resources were redirected to suppress Covid-19.
“Despite these efforts in place, we are challenged by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has the potential to reverse all our hard work and achievements over the past years, exacerbating inequalities and disrupting services for people living with HIV,” Ngwira said.
She added that the HIV and AIDS epidemic could get worse under the Covid-19 circumstances if officials do not innovate their response strategies to counter these new threats.
Namibia joined the international community to commemorate World AIDS Day on 1 December under the theme, ‘Access to HIV Healthcare Services in Namibia Amidst Covid-19’, while at a global level the day was observed under the theme ‘End Inequalities, End AIDS, End Pandemics’.
Over 15 000 people in the Kavango East region are on HIV treatment, and of these, 93% are virally suppressed. This shows that the 90% target set by the ministry of health in the region in 2020 has been achieved.
According to the health ministry, anti-retroviral treatment (ART) is now available at all health centres and clinics in the region. Access to treatment has also been increased through differentiated service delivery, where stable patients who are adhering well to their treatment receive their medications at community level through their chosen group leaders. Additionally, Covid-19 vaccinations have been integrated into ART services.
Furthermore, the governor said while acknowledging the various partners in the fight against the HIV and AIDS epidemic that inhabitants of the region and the nation at large should be vigilant and observe all the preventive measures.