Despite several sound initiatives to
combat HIV/Aids in Tanzania there are still challenges related to accessibility
of health services to targeted groups, a specialist has noted.
The UNDP Tanzania Programme
Specialist HIV/ Aids Bwijo Bwijo said recent studies in various regions have
shown varying degrees of HIV prevalence among key population groups.
“This variation is very alarming
calling for more effective strategic HIV prevention interventions,” he said.
Bwijo was speaking during the 6th
Annual Conference of Tanzania Parliamentarians Aids Coalition (TAPAC) held
yesterday in Dodoma.
According to Bwijo, stigma and
discrimination experienced by the groups are part of key challenges that hamper
accessibility of services and negate efforts being made to attain the national
vision of a “Tanzania free of HIV”.
He said UNDP was supporting the
country’s follow-up on the recommendations from the 2012 report of the Global
Commission on HIV and the law to eliminate stigma, discrimination and human
rights violations, which include enhancing the legal environment for people
living with HIV and AIDS.
“We trust that TAPAC will be a key
stakeholder in the preparation of legal environment assessment and planned national
dialogue to support creating a more enabling environment for the national HIV
and Aids response,” he said.
Since the first reported cases of
Aids in Tanzania, infections have spread rapidly, leading to a generalised
epidemic and a devastating impact on social and economic development.
He said HIV epidemic was driven by a
complex set of intertwining biological, behavioural and underlying
socio-cultural and socio-economic factors.
In response, he said the country’s
current HIV prevention approach was comprised of various behavioral and
biomedical interventions for the general population and vulnerable groups.
According to Bwijo, most biomedical
interventions such as prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), HIV
counseling and testing (HCT), blood transfusion safety, STI case management,
medical infection control, male circumcision, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP);
prevention of gender based violence and mainstreaming gender into HIV/Aids
programming were now based on national technical guidelines.
UNDP has for years enhanced
the ability of key institutions, including the legislature to effectively
implement their election and political function and better fulfill their
representative, legislative and oversight responsibilities.
For instance, through
Legislatures Support Project (LSP) UNDP has been working closely with
respective portfolio committees of the National Assembly and the House of
Representatives in Zanzibar.
Opening the conference,
Speaker Anne Makinda said since its establishment 12 years ago TAPAC has
effectively contributed to efforts in combating HIV/Aids within and outside the
House.
She noted that through such
concerted efforts by various stakeholders new infections have gone down
compared to the situation in the early 2000s.
The mother to- child
infections, according to Speaker Makinda, have also been reduced with the use
of antiretroviral drugs.
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