Myengwa told Mmegi that it has come to their attention that some pastors take and throw away drugs from people who have enrolled for ARV therapy. He revealed that there was a batch of drugs that were discovered along the BCL Mine road this week and it was clear that the drugs were collected from different people and disposed of. He noted that people are made to stop taking the drugs due to their religion. He stated that it was difficult to pin point the pastors because people are negligent with providing information. Myengwa said when someone is enrolled in the programme they are informed that they will be taking the drugs for their entire life but some decide to stop taking them when they start gaining weight.
"People then start re-taking the drugs when they start getting sick again but during that period, the body has developed resistance towards the drugs. In some instances people end up losing their lives," he said.Myengwa observed that the increase of people enrolling for ARV's is expected due to new infections that are being recorded.A member of Ministers Fraternal in Selebi-Phikwe and also a pastor at Lutheran church, Steven Taukobong said main stream churches often inform their members that HIV/AIDS is a reality and advise them to take their drugs properly. He explained that Lutheran church has hospices, which are meant to take care of people who are HIV positive. He said that the centres also encourage people on ARV therapy to have a good diet and exercise regularly.
