adminantiretroviral therapy initiation.
Patients commute to Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital, which is 200km away and costs about US$10 one way.
Doctors in Kariba are using clinical symptoms and WHO standards to recommend commencement of treatment and the regimen required.
Kariba District Medical Officer Dr Godwin Muza on Monday said they had no CD4 machine and cases were being referred to Chinhoyi or Chidamoyo Hospital in Hurungwe.
“We can test people for HIV but when it comes to case management it becomes difficult without a CD4 machine so that we know when to put someone on ARVs using the standards set by WHO,” he said.
WHO reviewed the CD4 count level to 340 from 200 for people to commence ARVs and that can only be determined by a CD4 machine.
A person living with HIV in Kariba suggested, “Every district hospital should have a CD4 machine to cut on distances that people have to travel to get the service which has became a crucial component of treatment.”
Online Reporter
- Chronicle
- September 28, 2026
- 5 views
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