adminMidlands Reporter
A NUMBER of people living with HIV in Mkoba high density suburb in Gweru claim they are failing to access CD4 count services amid reports that local clinics are experiencing a shortage of resources.Chronicle is reliably informed that Mkoba 1 and Mkoba Polyclinics have, for almost a year now, not been offering the service which is critical to people on antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Said one of the affected patients: “As people living with HIV we find the situation to be grossly unfair. The said two clinics have been turning us away whenever we seek CD4 count services referring us to Gweru Provincial Hospital and other private institutions such as Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS). The Government should intervene and save us.”
The patient said the plight of people living with the virus was worsened by workers at Gweru Provincial Hospital who are allegedly refusing to entertain them asking them to seek the services at clinics in their neighbourhoods.
Patients not on medical aid fail to access the service at private health institutions that demand cash up front, the patient further alleged.
Gweru City Council’s Director of Health Services, Christopher Ruwodo confirmed that council clinics had not been offering CD4 count services to other HIV patients for a long time save for pregnant women.
“The facts you were presented with are not correct as we have not been doing CD4 count check on normal HIV patients for years now except for pregnant women since our Point of Care machine is specifically designed for pregnant patients only,” said Ruwodo.
Ruwodo said council clinics had always been referring patients to bigger hospitals and no one, to the best of his knowledge, had been turned away.
He, however, pointed out that the Provincial Hospital had recently written a memo to council stating that council clinics should cut down on the number of patients they refer to them.
“We have always referred our patients to the Provincial Hospital over the years but we don’t know of cases where they have been turned away regardless of the memo they sent us asking us to cut down on the number of patients we refer to them,” he said.
Gweru Hospital Medical Superintendent, Dr Fabian Mashingaidze, dismissed reports that the hospital had been turning away patients seeking CD4 count services.
He said it was the hospital’s mandate to cater for everyone in the province regardless of where one was coming from. “It’s total nonsense for one to say they were turned away since as an institution we stand to cater for the needs of everyone within our province,” said Dr Mashingaidze.
He said the hospital had three CD4 count machines which were enough to cater for all people living with HIV in the province.
“Our hospital has three machines for CD4 count which are enough for everyone”.
Midlands Provincial Medical Director Dr Milton Chemhuru said the number of HIV patients had increased over the years and clinics should refer patients to other health institutions if they felt overwhelmed by demand.
“HIV patients have increased over the years and if clinics feel they cannot handle them they can refer them to the Provincial Hospital and those on medical aid can have their CD4 done through their medical aid societies so as to reduce pressure on the clinics,” he said.
Dr Chemhuru said in as much as conducting CD4 count is a challenge for the country the health sector had since resorted to the assessment of other clinical conditions in the monitoring of HIV patients.
“Since we are having challenges in conducting CD4 count due to a shortage of resources, patients are evaluated through weight, response to drugs among other things,” said Dr Chemhuru.
CD4 or T-helper cells are part of the infection-fighting system and the CD4 counting process helps to gauge how strong one’s immune system is.
Constant checking of the CD4 count indicates the stage of one’s HIV infection and also guides the medical practitioners on drug administration on patients and one’s response to prescribed drugs.
Doctors advise patients to undergo CD4 counts after every three months and six months depending on the stage of one’s condition.
Online Reporter