Poor health care to blame for rise in Aids scourge

By Peter Orengo and James Ratemo

Inadequate primary health care is to blame for spread of HIV and Aids, a study has revealed.

Research by Action Aid showed more than a million lives could be saved and three million people could remain free of HIV if countries adopted basic health care.

"Many poor people living with HIV still don’t get the services they need. Health systems in poor countries are frequently under-funded, under staffed, lack drugs and equipment required to treat people effectively," reads part of the report.

They include the use of toilets, poor personal hygiene and lack of basic prevention and treatment of simple opportunistic infections.

National Aids Control Council Chairperson Miriam Were (left) and Action Aid’s Leonard Okello at the launch of HIV/Aids report in Nairobi, yesterday. [PHOTO: anne kamoni/STANDARD]

The report, Why Primary Healthcare is Key to Tackling HIV and Aids, identified primary health as key to cutting down opportunistic diseases against Aids patients, especially the rural poor.

Poor Kenyans

Speaking at the launch of the report yesterday, National Aids Control Council Chairperson Miriam Were said the Government would adopt it.

"Poor Kenyans are frustrated due to lack of health facilities. Forty per cent of deaths are due to diarrhoea. It is time preventive aspects of health care were taken seriously," said Prof Were.

Were, who won Hideyo Naguchi Africa Prize awarded by Japan for her extensive work on HIV and Aids, said the report showed the role that improved healthcare could play to achieve universal access to HIV services.

"By prompt treatment, we can cure most diseases then have time to take care of secondary ones. This research shows that quality matters," she said.

She urged the Government to recognise traditional healers because they treat most Aids patients in the rural areas.

Separately, experts said many women and children die from Aids and related illnesses in eastern and southern Africa due to laxity by governments.

HIV and Aids specialists from nine countries meeting in Nairobi said yesterday early diagnosis of infants was still limited and treatment for infected children is often late, thus reducing chances of survival.

Increased death

Unicef’s Regional Advisor David Alnwick said: "The epidemic continues to devastate the health of children and their mothers in this region. This has led to increased death of children and their mothers."

The experts urged governments to expand and strengthen prevention of mother-to-child transmission services for pregnant women.

Last year, the region accounted for half of the global new HIV infections.

According to 2007 statistics, 60 per cent of Kenyan women and children were under HIV and Aids care and treatment. This fell below the 80 per cent target by the end of next year.

Last year’s statistics will be out by September.

Unicef’s Regional Advisor on PMCT and Paediatric Aids Janet Kayita said: "We need to rethink our message. We are underutilising community resources and many countries have a long way to go in improving HIV treatment and prevention of mother-to-child-transmission."