Zimbabwe Uniformed Forces health services annual conference starts in Victoria Falls

THE 10th edition of the Zimbabwe Uniformed Forces health services annual conference starts in Victoria Falls on Monday.

All Sadc countries are expected to attend the three-day conference which will end on Wednesday.

They are expected to be joined by Kenya and Nigeria from East and West Africa as guest partner states.

The conference is going under the theme: “HIV/AIDS and Substance Abuse: A Threat to National Security”.

Delegates who include members of the uniformed forces, Government officials and Ministry of Health and Child Care officials are supposed to arrive this afternoon ahead of the start of the conference tomorrow.

Commander Defence Forces General Phillip Valerio Sibanda will be the guest of honour.

HIV/AIDS and substance abuse: A threat to national security” the untold story and testing dilemma will be the centre of discussions as proceedings will start with an overview of TB/HIV collaborative interventions in Zimbabwe as well as an update on HIV Response and risk of HIV infection among the mobile populations.

The delegates will also have a case study on an assessment of drug and substance abuse in Victoria

Falls and management of substance misuse among the Uniformed.

Conference organisers have come up with case studies in areas of drug and substance abuse, trauma and addiction with communities such as Sigola, Gwanda, Msasa Park, and the need to promote national security through rehabilitative and collaborative approaches.

The deliberations will also seek to establish a history of drug and substance abuse and prevalence in selected targeted populations like inmates, juveniles, prisons, police and army camps, and focus ion impact both on national security and socio-economic growth.

Mainstreaming of mental health services into an HIV/SRH care platform will also be part of the discussions.

-@ncubeleon