CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Augustine Deke, Zimbabwe, October 1998
THEME = AIDS
In Zimbabwe, the scourge of AIDS
is feared more than ever, so much so,
that ordinary people say the initials could be construed as:
"Africa Is Denied Sex"
Zimbabwe's population is 12 million. Statistics reveal that 1.5 million Zimbabweans are HIV-positive and 350,000 have full blown AIDS. Among those infected with AIDS, 60% are adults and an estimated 15% are children. If nothing is done to check the onslaught, in the coming years the life expectancy of the average citizen could be reduced to just over 45 years.
Zimbabwe has experienced many disasters, both natural and man-made since becoming independent in 1980, but nothing to compare with AIDS. Dr. Mhloyi is Director of Population studies at the University of Zimbabwe. She says said she does not understand what the government means by declaring such and such a happening to be a "national disaster". At a Workshop organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNDP) in Harare (July 1998), she stated: "When you get a bus accident with 40 or more people killed, (a rare occurrence), it's called a "national disaster". But here's a disease killing at least seventy people each week, (a gross underestimation as most deaths go unrecorded), and it's not declared a national disaster".
The number of those infected, is projected to reach 1.8 million by the year 2000, with over 600,000 children being orphaned. Indeed, a national disaster in the making! Since AIDS began to spread throughout the country, 26 support groups for victims have been established, receiving the help of nineteen funding organizations.
But it should be noted, however, that when it comes to general medical care, there are 7,692 people per doctor and slightly over 1,639 people per nurse. Hospital care is on the verge of collapsing. What's happened? In 1996, many junior doctors and nurses went on strike for better working conditions and they were dismissed from their employment. Hospitals have remained understaffed ever since. The following year, 238 nurses resigned from the Ministry of Health service, leaving a total of 2,000 vacancies nationwide.
Churches, trade unions and traditional healers are divided among themselves about the best way of tackling AIDS.
The Churches: The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) has one full-time worker who coordinates an AIDS education programme with other Churches and communities. The ZCC also has a number of publications informing people about AIDS. However, the Churches cannot agree among themselves as to the use of condoms for safe sex. Some member-Churches affirm that condoms promote promiscuity, in clear contradiction to the Bible's teaching.
Traditional Healers: The Zimbabwe National Traditional Healer's Association (ZINATHA), has a budget of $1.25 million for AIDS care per annum. Contradictory cultures and beliefs have seen many Zimbabweans shun ZINATHA's services. ZINATHA's healing methods which mostly involve tattooing and biting during healing sessions, has left many wondering whether the organisation is not really encouraging the disease to spread!
Trade Unions: The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) informs workers about AIDS through its thirty local union affiliates, each with their own officers, some of whom have been trained to impart information concerning AIDS. AIDS has hit mostly skilled workers and this has had a severe effect on industry, as skilled workers are difficult to replace within a short period. Workers are pressing that a National Code of Practice on AIDS and Employment, should be enshrined in a legal document so as to protect HIV infected people in the work place. The Employers Confederation of Zimbabwe (EMCOZ) prefers guidelines to be made concerning the treatment of AIDS rather than drafting a statutory instrument. The EMCOZ fears that drawing up a legal document concerning AIDS issues, will establish a precedence for other diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
There has been a move to arrive at an amicable and working agreement to protect the rights of the workers and the interests of the employers. The ZCTU, the EMCOZ, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), the Southern Africa Aids Information Dissemination Service (SAFADIS), the National Aids Control Program (NACP) and government representatives, drew up a draft Code to address the conditions of workers diagnosed as being HIV-positive.
The Code states: "Employers and employees shall discuss and negotiate social packages for termination of employment on medical grounds. These packages include post-employment security, housing, loan security and health care costs".
It must be acknowledged that the employers are not too happy with the provisions of this Code, claiming that the government's National Social Security Association (NSSA) already exists to take care of employees' health needs, and in any case, employees are already covered by the NSSA's occupational pension schemes.
The government had been having any number of round-table discussions with all interested parties. But suddenly, in August 1998, it issued the Labour Relations (HIV and AIDS) Regulations, without any prior consultation with the employers. The regulations stipulate that employers who discriminate against HIV-positive employees, will be fined up to $5,000 or imprisoned for a period not exceeding six months or both. The new regulations were imposed at a time when companies, desperate to improve production and adjust recurrent expenditure, were forcing workers infected with HIV/AIDS, to resign.
The government has established an umbrella body, the National Aids Control Programme (NACP), to mobilize and support other non-governmental organisations (NGO)s in the fight against AIDS. To date, the NACP has been lacking in total commitment in its work, offering only "tea and sympathy" - nothing else. Dr.Mhloyi blames the NACP for not having a legal and political mandate to force other government departments to follow its policy directives.
In July 1998, over 3,000 Zimbabweans petitioned the government to show a clear political commitment and a well-defined strategy for tackling AIDS. Zimbabweans want more than just verbal commitments. Among many other things, they call on the government to subsidize the costs of the drugs used in the triple drug therapy course, which most citizens can't afford.
In August 1998, Zimbabwe's Vice-President, Comrade Simon Muzenda, urged politicians to talk more about AIDS, saying that "putting a cover around AIDS has been our biggest weakness".
The same month, a twelve-member Zimbabwean political delegation visited Uganda, to study that country's HIV/AIDS strategy for the control and prevention of AIDS.
Little can be expected from the Mugabe government, presently reeling under one economic nightmare after another. A practical consequence of this is seen in the prisons where homosexuality is rife among the inmates. Zimbabwe has 40 prisons with regulation space for 16,000 inmates. There are presently more than 18,000 people in prison, 2,000 more than their holding capacity. Little wonder, then, that AIDS has made vast inroads among the prisoners.
Faced with the government's helplessness, many doctors advise the best "drug" for AIDS, given Zimbabwe's present situation, is for people to abstain from sex, and to uphold good moral standards! The future could be tough going for most Zimbabweans.
END
CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
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