adminPamela Shumba Senior Reporter
MEDECINS Sans Frontières (MSF) Spain is pulling out of the country at the end of this year after successfully initiating more than 16,000 patients on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in Tsholotsho District in the past nine years. MSF Spain Head of Mission Alberto Jodra Marcos on Friday said the non-governmental organisation, also known as Doctors Without Borders, had accomplished all its objectives and registered tremendous success in Tsholotsho District, working in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care.
“Over the past nine years, MSF supported the enrolment of more than 16,000 patients on ART in Tsholotsho District.
“Over this period MSF has worked in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care to introduce and roll out a comprehensive ART programme targeting all aspects of HIV prevention, treatment, care and support,” said Marcos during a tour of Tsholotsho by the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Paul Chimedza and the Minister of State for Matabeleland North provincial affairs Cde Cain Mathema.
“The success of the project in Tsholotsho is attributable to the community-wide HIV service model built on the public health approach to ART.”
Marcos said the three objectives of their project in Tsholotsho, which included decentralising and integrating health services as well as sharing tasks among health personnel, were all fulfilled during the nine-year period.
He added that the project was instrumental in fighting Tuberculosis, the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) and the use of the less toxic ART coup on patients.
“As of June 2014, 19 out of 20 health facilities in Tsholotsho offered nurse-led ART initiation and ART follow up. MSF also supported Tsholotsho District Hospital and Nyamandlovu in Umguza District.
“Before the initiation of the MSF project, health facilities in the district were overloaded by high numbers of HIV patients, who were seeking health care assistance. The ART had not yet been introduced in the district,” said Marcos.
He said despite the efforts made by MSF, the health system was struggling to cope with the high medical needs in some areas where the access to HIV/ TB treatment remains low.
Marcos said the health ministry’s main challenge was to ensure access to treatment for drug resistant TB patients and provide adequate health workers at all health facilities.
Dr Chimedza said the government was ready to take over from MSF and commended the non-governmental organisation for supporting health services in Tsholotsho District.
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