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By a correspondent | The country's NEW start-up centers raised HIV testing and counseling costs to US $ 9, a situation that is likely to discourage people from getting tested, as the country is trying hard to get tested. reach the goal of 90-90-90.
The 90-90-90 goal is an ambitious goal set by the United Nations to ensure that 90% of all people living with HIV know that their HIV status is known and that 90% of all people with HIV know about it. diagnosis of HIV infection is diagnosed will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy. 90 percent of all people on antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.
As part of efforts to encourage testing in Zimbabwe, the New Start centers offered testing and advice at $ 1 or free, but currency changes forced the centers to convert and charge $ 9. Experts said it could discourage people from being tested because even when services were free, some people were still not enthusiastic.
Ms. Sinatra Nyathi, provincial coordinator of the National AIDS Council in Bulawayo (Nac), said the cost of testing had changed with the change in monetary policy.
"The test and the advice cost 1 US dollar. When the multi-currency system was removed, they were converted to US $ 9 at the interbank rate. However, even using the interbank rate, people do not have that kind of money to pay for the tests, "she said.
Nyathi said the NAC had not yet measured public response or engaged with Population Services International Zimbabwe to see if the number of people coming for voluntary testing and consultations would decrease.
She said that over the years, the new start centers have been attended by a large number of testers, people who already know their status and who perform new tests. Ms. Nyathi stated that they were hiring PSI to review the charges. However, she said that paying a token was a way to encourage people to own the results.
"Paying this money was like becoming the owner of what you will do, if you pay your money, you will get services and results, unlike entering and leaving the center for free, and you will not see the value of the services," he said. she declared.
Asked about the impact of the cost of the HIV test on the country and the progress already made in the fight against new HIV infections, she replied:
"We always encourage people to know their status, whether it's with ISPs, public institutions or by buying your own test kit in a pharmacy. If any of them is negative, they must retain this status and avoid anything that could cause them to change status, this status being very tricky. "
Nyathi said the NAC also wanted to test more people and help people living with HIV and AIDS.-StateMedia
"When you know their status, they will protect themselves and not transmit HIV to another person, which is a good thing. Again, if this HIV-positive person regularly takes ARVs, the risk of infecting his partner becomes low. "
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