Malawi: Police Press for VCT Centre
By HAPPY SAKA, The Chronicle Newspaper, March 20, 2006
Lilongwe--Senior Police officers in Lilongwe are pressing warning buttons on government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to immediately assist them with a voluntary counselling and testing centre (VCT) so that the officers and their families have access to information on sexual and reproductive health as well as HIV.
Some police officers told The Chronicle in an exclusive interview recently that there is need to establish a VCT centre at the regional office in Lilongwe where people can be tested for HIV/AIDS and get information on sexual and reproductive health.
"We would like to ask government and some other well wishers and non-governmental organisation to give us support so that we can have a VCT centre which will be providing us information about sexual and transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS testing," said one of the police officers.
The officers said many police officers are dying of HIV/AIDS and said government should do something to save their life. "Its true that police officers are dying of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS every month and this is because we do not have a VCT centre in most of the police stations in Malawi.
Even here we don't have a VCT centre, yet this is a police regional head quarters," he said".
The officers also disclosed that most of the police officers in the country are always shy to visit government or private hospitals to get treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
"It is difficult for police men to go for STI treatment in government hospitals because they are embarrassed, that's why we are insisting that we should have a VCT centre so that it will be easy for us to get treatment," said the officers.
The regional HIV/AIDS-coordinator for central regional police, Fredrick Semfoliano confirmed in a separate interview recently that the VCT centre is indeed needed at the regional. "I can confirm to you that it's true that we don't have VCT centre here which can treat sexual and transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS.
We have been pushing this issue to the headquarters in area 30 and it seems like they are working on it," said Semfoliano who could not shade more right on the issue.
He further said it has been always difficult for most of the police officers, more especially those that are affected to go to a near by hospital or the right house to get anti-retroviral drugs, (ARVs) and information about sexual and reproductive health.
He also said the coming of a VCT centre would help many police officers to have knowledge on how they can prevent sexually transmitted diseases.
"We have tried our best to disseminate information about HIV/AIDS but we have not yet tackled much of the issue about sexual and reproductive health. We feel if we can have a VCT Centre, many police officers will be able to visit the centre since it will be close to them and the living life standard can change as well.
However, National AIDS coordinator for police, Edward Chatsalira said in an interview that the issue has already been put into consideration and plans are underway to construct a VCT centre at the stations.
"Yes we have received the information about the need for a VCT centre and at the moment we are planning to talk to city assembly officials so that they can give us land to construct a good VCT centre," he said Chatsalira added: "We need to train counsellors who will be treating the officers and this will be done after we have sourced some financial assistance from donors," he said.
Asked to comment on the issue of police officers dying of HIV/Aids and sexually transmitted diseases, Chatsalira sounded ignorant on the issue saying he needs time to cross check figures at his office.
The investigations conducted by this reporter have reviewed that the Malawi police service has only two VCT centres, one in Zomba and the other one at the police headquarters in area 30.
The VCT centre which is in area 30 has been treating sexual and transmitted infections and providing information about HIV/AIDS and family planning methods.
The investigations have also reviewed that the police service is planning to establish VCT centres in all major police stations namely, Blantyre, Mzuzu and Mtakataka in as one way of reducing sexually transmitted diseases in the police service.
Source: AllAfrica.com
Lilongwe--Senior Police officers in Lilongwe are pressing warning buttons on government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to immediately assist them with a voluntary counselling and testing centre (VCT) so that the officers and their families have access to information on sexual and reproductive health as well as HIV.
Some police officers told The Chronicle in an exclusive interview recently that there is need to establish a VCT centre at the regional office in Lilongwe where people can be tested for HIV/AIDS and get information on sexual and reproductive health.
"We would like to ask government and some other well wishers and non-governmental organisation to give us support so that we can have a VCT centre which will be providing us information about sexual and transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS testing," said one of the police officers.
The officers said many police officers are dying of HIV/AIDS and said government should do something to save their life. "Its true that police officers are dying of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS every month and this is because we do not have a VCT centre in most of the police stations in Malawi.
Even here we don't have a VCT centre, yet this is a police regional head quarters," he said".
The officers also disclosed that most of the police officers in the country are always shy to visit government or private hospitals to get treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
"It is difficult for police men to go for STI treatment in government hospitals because they are embarrassed, that's why we are insisting that we should have a VCT centre so that it will be easy for us to get treatment," said the officers.
The regional HIV/AIDS-coordinator for central regional police, Fredrick Semfoliano confirmed in a separate interview recently that the VCT centre is indeed needed at the regional. "I can confirm to you that it's true that we don't have VCT centre here which can treat sexual and transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS.
We have been pushing this issue to the headquarters in area 30 and it seems like they are working on it," said Semfoliano who could not shade more right on the issue.
He further said it has been always difficult for most of the police officers, more especially those that are affected to go to a near by hospital or the right house to get anti-retroviral drugs, (ARVs) and information about sexual and reproductive health.
He also said the coming of a VCT centre would help many police officers to have knowledge on how they can prevent sexually transmitted diseases.
"We have tried our best to disseminate information about HIV/AIDS but we have not yet tackled much of the issue about sexual and reproductive health. We feel if we can have a VCT Centre, many police officers will be able to visit the centre since it will be close to them and the living life standard can change as well.
However, National AIDS coordinator for police, Edward Chatsalira said in an interview that the issue has already been put into consideration and plans are underway to construct a VCT centre at the stations.
"Yes we have received the information about the need for a VCT centre and at the moment we are planning to talk to city assembly officials so that they can give us land to construct a good VCT centre," he said Chatsalira added: "We need to train counsellors who will be treating the officers and this will be done after we have sourced some financial assistance from donors," he said.
Asked to comment on the issue of police officers dying of HIV/Aids and sexually transmitted diseases, Chatsalira sounded ignorant on the issue saying he needs time to cross check figures at his office.
The investigations conducted by this reporter have reviewed that the Malawi police service has only two VCT centres, one in Zomba and the other one at the police headquarters in area 30.
The VCT centre which is in area 30 has been treating sexual and transmitted infections and providing information about HIV/AIDS and family planning methods.
The investigations have also reviewed that the police service is planning to establish VCT centres in all major police stations namely, Blantyre, Mzuzu and Mtakataka in as one way of reducing sexually transmitted diseases in the police service.
Source: AllAfrica.com
posted by AIDS-Care-Watch at 5:36 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home