HARARE - Seventy per cent of children under the age of five are losing out on HIV and AIDS testing mainly because of the decade-long economic turmoil that affected the countrys health delivery system, the Zimbabwean government has said. (Pictured: Children under the age o
Maidei Ruhukwa, 23, of Simchembo, a remote area which borders Binga and Gokwe in the Midlands province, is a rural mother who has borne the effects of a declining health system. She has a three-year-old daughter who was born with HIV and was rescued by The United Nations Childrens Funds mobile clinic which was recently introduced in her area.
As a peasant farmer and single mother, Maidei could not afford to travel to Gokwe for her daughter to be tested. It is more than 10km to the bus stop, and the bus they need only comes at 2 oclock in the morning.
Her baby was diagnosed HIV positive upon birth at Gweru hospital three years ago. I was transferred from Gokwe hospital to Gweru because the nurses said I had developed complications during pregnancy. Upon giving birth I was told that my daughter was HIV positive and was supposed to go to the nearest hospital regularly for her check ups and treatment. Unfortunately, I could not afford to go to Gokwe Hospital.
At one point during the peak of hunger in 2008 I thought of dumping the baby because of her deteriorating health and my inability to fend for her, but thanks be to God, UNICEF introduced regular mobile clinics which have saved my daughters life.
According to the Ministry of Health and Child welfare, tonnes of paediatric ARVs are expiring in the countrys hospitals while thousands of children are dying. 100 children under the age of five die every day, largely of preventable diseases.
Commenting on the deaths of children and mothers in Zimbabwe at the official launch of the countrys US$700 million appeal to revive the health sector in Harare recently, UNICEF country representative Dr Peter Salam said efforts were bring made by the donor community to reduce infant and maternal motility rates.
It is imperative that we recommit ourselves to this goal by finding resources to rebuild this system, improve the quality of service and reach those women and children who are currently missing out. A national survey has been carried out that gives all partners information on nutritional status in all the countrys districts and provinces. Treatment cites for infant diagnosis and CD4 testing are being scaled up, he said.
World Health organization Country representative, Custodia Mondhlate, said a concerted effort needed to be made to reduce the infant and maternal mortality rate. We call upon the government of Zimbabwe and other development partners to support the health rebuilding exercise, she said.
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