Sat, 19 Aug 2017 12:09:17 +0000
By Linda Soko Tembo
IT is the responsibility of each and every individual to decide on issues of their personal health voluntarily as opposed to compulsory HIV Testing, Non-Governmental Organisation Coordinating Council (NGOCC) Executive Director, Engwase Mwale has said.
Ms Mwale said Government’s announcement to make HIV Testing, Counselling and Treatment (HTCT) compulsory was infringing on people’s rights.
Ms. Mwale said that in as much as Zambia had subscribed to the goal of ensuring that AIDS would be eliminated by 2030, interfering in people’s rights to privacy was not the best solution. She said NGOCC as a women’s movement, they were well aware that HIV and AIDS had continued to be a menace and impediment to progress of Zambia as a nation.
“NGOCC as a women’s movement, we are well aware that HIV and AIDS have been and continue to be a menace and impediment to progress of Zambia as a nation.
“The pandemic over the years robbed the nation of the much-needed human resources across the wide spectra of society and continue to render women, children and men vulnerable,” she said.
Ms. Mwale said in as much as it was the government’s responsibility to ensure a healthy nation, such a pronouncement did little in respecting citizen’s individual rights especially to privacy which were guaranteed in the Constitution.
She said Government’s capacity to handle cases that were borne out of Voluntary Counselling and Testing cases had not been encouraging.
“We have observed that the VCT programme has not yielded the desired results owing to ineffective implementation of the programme and absence of other supporting mechanism such as addressing the domino effects of stigma and discrimination which remain a widespread challenge in the fight against the spread of HIV,” Ms. Mwale said
She said NGOCC was for the view that sensitization would play a key role in promoting behavioural change around the pandemic and that compelling an individual to test would not guarantee that they would adhere to treatment.
Ms. Mwale said the compulsory HIV testing would result in the general public especially those who were not ready to be tested, to shun health facilities.
