Many women in Masaka are assisted by traditional birth attendants to deliver
By Judith Kizza
Traditional birth attendants (TDAs) in Masaka are hampering efforts to end HIV/Aids spread by 2030.
The concern was raised by Masaka quality improving officer sister Dympanar Nagawa while representing Dr. Faith Nakiyimba the Masaka district health officer during science café organized by the Health Journalist Network Uganda at court lane hotel in Masaka.
Nagawa says that though the country is focused to fight the spread of the virus by reducing the number of children that get infected at birth in Masaka their mothers still deliver from TDAs which puts their babies’ lives at risk of contracting the virus.
She revealed that a study conducted by Masaka district health department together, with Babies and Mothers Alive, found that at least two babies in the last two months were found positive, and they discovered that these children had been delivered from TDAs saying that this challenge can be addressed if the public is sensitized about the dangers of delivery in hands of TDAs.
She adds that it’s surprising that men not only abandon condoms one of the tested tools that prevent HIV/AIDS spread but also don’t support their wives to seek medical services from existing public health facilities and the mothers end up at Traditional Birth Attendants (TDAs) which has left Masaka still stuck with the challenge of mother to child transmissions because of children that are still born with the virus.
“We are still challenged by mothers that are still seeking antenatal services at TDAs instead of health facilities, this is greatly affecting the fight against HIV/AIDS since most of the TDAs do not have the capacity to test and even protect newborn babies from acquiring the virus from the mothers,” she added.
Health activists that attended the café also re-echoed the need to have men involved in the fight against HIV/Aids if Uganda is to attain the goal of ending HIV/Aids by 2030.
Speaker after speaker retaliated on the importance of having males brought on board as the most existing strategies are targeting females and children, yet men have power and control over these two categories mostly targeted by the HIV/AIDs preventive measures.
Nagawa, however, told the participants in the Masaka science Café that the prevalence rate raised from 8.6 in the last five years to 10.5 saying that this may also affect Uganda’s strategy of ending HIV/AIDS by 2030.
Nagawa said that Masaka is still struggling at 89 percent of the second 95 targets of having all people found HIV/AIDS positive on treatment, which she says that is hampering the fight against the virus despite HIV/AIS treatment and care services being available in all public health facilities in Masaka.
“ The people who know their HIV/AIDS status but are reluctant to start treatment are affecting our efforts to attain the second 95 target which has made us stager at 89 for a long, despite initiatives like asking mothers to come to facilities with their husbands whenever they come on antenatal visits” she added.
Dr. Faith Nakiyimba DHO in her message delivered by sister Nagawa, applauded HEJNU for coming up with such initiatives to equip journalists with knowledge because journalists play an important role in educating and informing societies so that people can make informed decisions on health services.
Records show that a significant number of people in Masaka know their HIV/AIDS status since the performance of the district on the first 95 stands at 98 percent while on the second 95 of being enrolled in treatment, Masaka is at 89 and the other 95 of viral suppression is on 90 which is attributed to people who are still reluctant on taking medicine as prescribed by health workers.
Dick Bugembe the chairperson of Masaka Association of Disabled Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (MADIPHA) says that there is a need for concerted efforts of all stakeholders including men to be brought on board if the target to end HIV/AIDS by 2030 is to be realized.
He says that they have tried to fight HIV/AIDS in the community through drama. After entertaining people they sensitize the population and urge them to test for HIV/AIDS and also take up HIV/AIDS treatment and care which he says has helped much to save communities of PWDS in Masaka.
“We appreciate the strategies put in place to fight HIV/AIDS, but we need to do more and sensitize men about the dangers of not being part of the campaign against HIV/AIDS. Males like females spread the virus, they need to be sensitized, and MADIPHA started on this by fighting myths in communities that when you have sexual intercourse with a PWD you can’t contact the virus and this has left many PWDS infected with the virus which is affecting our efforts to protect PWDS from catching HIV/AIDS”.
Bugembe wondered why the designers of the strategies fighting HIV/AIDS don’t put more emphasis on men, yet they have more power to have multiple partners with whom they end up infected with the virus since even their ability to take medicine is low asking the policymakers to design more policies that bring men at the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Ponsiano Sserwadda the general secretary of the Positive Youths Association asked the government to expedite the process of approving the use of innovations added in the fight against HIV/AIDS such as the injection which he says may be more user-friendly as even males can use them more than condoms which a big number has abandoned. He said that those that are trying to use condoms, a number of f them, lack knowledge of how to use them effectively.
“It’s good to empower women and girls, but unfortunately the males who are not empowered to know their HIV/AIDS status, and those that not seek HIV/AIDS treatment and care affect the efforts to end HIV/AIDS by 2030, since they can’t suppress, yet they have multiple partners adding that this gap can be addressed by formulating policies that will also incorporate men in the fight since condoms can be supplemented by the injection to boost the fight and have HIV/Aids end by 2030 so that the next generation can be free from this scourge,” he added.
In Uganda and Africa, at large, the focus of the HIV/Aids epidemic has historically been on women and children. Women are considered to be particularly vulnerable to HIV infection in this setting because of biological factors, their reduced sexual autonomy, and men’s sexual power and privilege over them.
