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Lloyd Gumbo Senior Reporter
A Parliamentary committee has called on Government to scrap user fees on HIV-related illnesses as a way of enhancing access to treatment by those living with the virus.
In its first report on the National Aids Council capacity building workshop and tour, the Thematic Committee on HIV/Aids said while there was a reduction in new HIV infections in general, there was an increase in new infections among sex workers.
Steering the report through the Senate recently, committee chairperson Mrs Lilian Timveos (MDC-T) presented a number of recommendations from legislators.
“The Ministry of Health and Child Care should communicate all new HIV and AIDS policy guidelines to all health care service providers,” said Senator Timveos.
“Mobile clinics should be set up at border posts in order to curb the spread of HIV. User fees for people living with HIV, for HIV and AIDS-related illnesses should be scrapped so that Zimbabwe can reach the 90-90-90 by 2020.
“The National Aids Council should embark on massive and aggressive awareness campaigns for safe sex countrywide, to all sectors of society, particularly key populations.”
Sex workers who gave evidence before the committee in Ngundu and Beitbridge indicated that poverty was the major driver of commercial sex.
According to the committee, some of the sex workers pledged to dump the trade if they could find alternative means of earning a living given the challenges they faced.
“They cited challenges as follows: violent clients who sexually abused them and sometimes refused to pay for services rendered; clients who offered to pay them more if no condom was used; clients who paid less than charged but used force to sleep with them longer or without the protection of a condom.
“Zimbabwean legislation criminalises sex work and society discriminates against women who engage in such work. This leaves the sex workers with no legal protection from abusive clients.
“The commercial sex workers associations visited recommended that Parliament should enact legislation to protect sex workers from abuse by clients and that Government sets up and support income-generating projects for them to cushion them against the prevailing harsh economic conditions,” reads the committee report.
The committee also took evidence from truck drivers who are predominantly clients of commercial sex workers.
The drivers told the committee that they hired sex workers because they were away from their spouses for long periods of up to three months.
Delays at the borders were also cited as the reason drivers hired commercial sex workers.
“Drivers made recommendations as follows: Parliament should enact legislation which will compel employers to allow truck drivers to travel with their wives.
“This will reduce the spread of HIV as spouses will be able to travel together and the need for services of commercial sex workers will not arise.
“The truck drivers also requested that measures be taken by Government through Zimra and Customs to reduce the time taken to clear cargo at border posts and that entertainment facilities be set up at truck stops so that drivers are entertained while they wait for clearance of cargo.
“Some of the drivers are HIV positive or suffer from chronic illnesses and therefore recommended that wellness centres or clinics be located near truck stops to enable them to access health care services easily.
Truck drivers informed parliamentarians that provision of clean ablution facilities for them would greatly improve their welfare,” said the committee.
Online Reporter