EDITORIAL COMMENT: Decentralisation of HIV/Aids testing a welcome move Dr Nyasha Masuka
Dr Nyasha Masuka

Dr Nyasha Masuka

The Ministry of Health and Child Care is decentralising Point of Care HIV testing from major hospitals to district hospitals. Victoria Falls hospital and Inyathi District hospital are the first beneficiaries of this decentralisation programme in Matabeleland North province.

The two hospitals have already received the Early Infant Diagnosis Point of Care testing machines. Mothers who give birth at health institutions that do not have the machines usually wait for up to three months to know the HIV status of their children. Matabeleland North Provincial Medical Director, Dr Nyasha Masuka, said in the past HIV testing machines were found at central hospitals such as Mpilo and Parirenyatwa but now these machines are now being distributed to district hospitals.

He said the machines will enable hospitals to test the children soon after birth and give the results to the mothers instead of waiting for three months to get the results as was the case in the past. He said when testing was centralised, nurses used to send blood samples to central hospitals where testing was done and the mothers would then wait up to three months to know the HIV status of their children.

Dr Masuka said the disadvantage of the past set up was that most mothers never returned to collect their babies’ results due to the long wait. He said many mothers gave up after coming back to the health institution two or three times without getting the results. Dr Masuka said such actions by mothers put their babies’ lives at risk hence the move by Government to decentralise the machines to district hospitals.

It should now take a very short period of time for health institutions to get the results from their respective district hospitals. Those born at the district hospitals are tested soon after birth and the mothers are given the results before they leave the hospitals. Early diagnosis of HIV in infants is very critical because children born with the virus should be put on medication as soon as possible.

Research has shown that HIV/Aids account for 21 percent of child deaths and late diagnosis has been largely to blame for this high mortality rate. We want to commend the Health Ministry for this move to have the machines at all district hospitals throughout the country. The decentralisation of the machines brings services close to the people which has always been the Government’s thrust.

We however want to implore Government to continue mobilising resources so that such machines are found at every health institution offering maternity services. Each and every health institution should be able to test infants for HIV soon after birth.

It is not in dispute that some of the HIV related deaths could have been avoided had the children been diagnosed early and put on treatment. We have said in the past that while it is the responsibility of Government to provide essential services like health, the private sector and other players such as Churches could complement such efforts.

Companies have in the past assisted in refurbishing wards at different hospitals as well as provide drugs and other consumables.

We want to appeal to the companies to once again assist by providing these essential machines to enable health institutions to undertake early infant diagnosis of HIV. The child mortality rate as a result of Aids related illnesses will be drastically reduced once all maternity centres have the machines.

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