mmegi

A nightmare develops in HIV treatment

Old enemy: Botswana is among four countries that have achieved the near-impossible 95-95-95 targets for HIV/AIDS
Old enemy: Botswana is among four countries that have achieved the near-impossible 95-95-95 targets for HIV/AIDS

The country’s recent world-beating achievement in the fight against HIV/AIDS, could be undone by reports that some patients are going without ARVs, while a shortage of HIV test kits mean many aren’t monitoring their viral loads. Mmegi Correspondent NNASARETHA KGAMANYANE reports

In interviews and field visits in the last two weeks, Mmegi has established that many local health facilities that do not have pharmacists on duty, are not dispensing Antiretroviral medication, popularly known as ARVs, and that there is also a shortage of HIV test kits.

The investigation was sparked by complaints from some People Living with HIV (PLHIV) that they were experiencing troubles getting their ARVs from their regular clinics as pharmacists have disappeared due to an ongoing industrial action.

Editor's Comment
Our digital safety is in our hands

That sounds like good news. But the report also warns that this may simply be because our digital economy is still young, not because we are safe. As more people shop, bank and pay online, criminals will follow.We Batswana do not need a report to tell us that danger is real. Many of us have heard of or fallen victim to KYC scams. A caller impersonates your bank or mobile money provider. They say they need to “verify” your account. They ask...

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