BY JONAN BEINOMUGISHA
Following presidential directives that banned public and private transport to contain the spread of Coronavirus, this has left people living with HIV/AIDs at high risk of missing out on their life supporting medication.
With the health system setup in Uganda, most of the HIV patients always received their drugs from health centre three but now with this lockdown they find it hard to travel to these health centres.
Jariah Nabukenya an official from TASO Mbarara says that in some instances they have tried to reach out to some of known patients to deliver the drugs but they are always hampered by security operatives who always block or delay them on the way.
Nabukenya revealed during an online webinar cafe organised by Health journalist network Uganda aiming at assessing the Impact of covid-19 on HIV response in Uganda.
She asked the concerned government authorities to always give a leeway to the identified drug deliverers so that they give a second chance to people living with HIV/AIDS.
DR Stephen Watiti senior HIV Specialist Health experts in his remarks said that due to the lockdown, there is fear that HIV drug adherence will reduce as most patients find it difficult to get the drugs.
Dr Watiti revealed that the spread of HIV is likely to increase in this period of pandemic if the effective information sharing on HIV is not spearheaded by the media which can reach to the masses.
He is challenging the people living with to seek permission from the relevant local authorities like the LC1, RDCs such that they are given travel permits to health centres.
Kenneth Mwehonge the health policy advocacy at The Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development (HEPS-Uganda) asked the people living with HIV/AIDS to observe the SOPS as the available information shows that Covid19 greatly affects people with other underlying comorbidities.
He asked people as they mind about putting on masks in this pandemic to as well put on condoms as they engage in sexual acts.
According to the available statistics, the HIV Prevalence among adults aged 15 to 64 in Uganda is 6.2% as 7.6% are females and 4.7% are males.
This corresponds to approximately 1.2 million people aged 15 to 64 living with HIV in Uganda.
