Gaboitsiwe awaits good samaritan

November 11, 2012

Botswana has a high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 17.6% after Swaziland according to the recent annual reports presented by National AIDS Coordinating Agency (NACA). This is despite the efforts made by HIV/AIDS organisations and other players in the industry in the fight against the pandemic. Botswana as a country still has a long way to go in fighting this serial killer.

Women have limited access to health services because of stigmatization and discrimination associated with womanhood hence deterring them from acting or preventing HIV/AIDS therefore accounting them to 60% of people living with HIV.In trying to inform and engage policy makers and government on women issues the International Community of Women Living with HIV Southern Africa (ICW), Bomme Isago Association (BIA) and BONELA recently held a one-day dialogue meeting between women living with HIV and policy makers to address sexual reproductive health rights of women living with HIV in Botswana.
BIA is an organisation which exists to improve the well-being of children and women living with HIV in Botswana and promote their rights.The dialogue was aimed at coming up with ways of helping women with HIV by mobilising their access to sexual reproductive health and right (SRHR) through core group’s advocates and strategic partner organisations.

One participant at the meeting cried foul about her health condition which was ignored by one of the government hospitals.Jacqueline Gaboitsewe was tested for cervical cancer in 2006 and has been toyed between government hospitals until now. Despite her urgent problem Gaboitsewe said she wish the government could come up with policies and rights to address cancer complicated matters like hers.
Having been in and out of hospitals for years now and relying on pain killers for her health, the bubbly Gaboitsewe, said she just hoped a good samaritan will just come from heaven and rescue her from her trauma.”I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and cry looking at my two year old daughter in pain and thinking am I going to die and leave her behind,” she said. She said she survives through the help of family members and spouse.

Gabane Support Group chair, Girly Mothibedi on the other hand blamed the takeover of clinics by Central Government and last year’s strike as some of the challenges faced by women in villages when it comes to support group which can be helpful to women living with HIV/AIDS.
The 31-year old, who hails from Gabane, started the group in 2001 and still holds on the cross despite low commitment from some members. She said the reason why in most cases women are vulnerable and mostly affected by HIV is because of the stigma which is still high in villages.“The affected people are not joining because they don’t want to disclose their status avoiding stigmatization,” she added.She said when they started the support group they were 150 but today they are only 25, and the remaining pose sluggish feet.Mothibedi said support groups are not effective as they are meant to be because there is lack of resources and limited health practitioners especially in villages.“When clinics were still under local government we used transport from the clinic to spread awareness in the village but now it’s tough,” she added.
She said since last year’s strike, new staff have been employed and patients in most cases are not free to share information with the new hired nurses.”It’s even crowded in hospitals, it takes forever to be helped,” she added.
The most challenging element is that support groups face lack of funding because most of the people are volunteers, no one is paying them, and this slows their efforts to outreach and teach women affected with HIV to come forth. Gabane Support Group is a community group of volunteers who came forth to interact, support each other by listening and sharing experiences.
On her keynote address, ICW Regional Coordinator, Promise Mthembu said there is need to increase access to legal services and audit cervical cancer services in order to know the extend of the problem to women living with HIV.
”Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Southern African women therefore much attention is needed on it,” she emphasized.
Mthembu said policies are crucial as they will address issues faced by women with HIV in the society. Some of the issues experienced by women in particular according to Mthembu include reports of forced sterilisation of HIV women and policies which punish those who choose to have children.”Every woman has the right to have a child, through the policies that we advocate for women can be able to have children,” she said.She added that women living with HIV in most cases are disadvantaged as more deaths come as a result of childbearing.

”With PMTCT Programmes people are more concerned about the life of the child to be saved and forget about the mother, “she added.Mthembu said through these policies women living with HIV will also benefit as in most cases the less privileged don’t benefit from health facilities. The only people who benefit are the rich and those in powers because they get help from private health facilities.Tati Town Tribal Leader, Ms Ludo Mosojane emphasized more on the role of policy makers in addressing sexual and reproductive health services for women living with HIV in Botswana. Mosojane adviced policy makers to come up with solutions, advocates as well as programmes where women living with HIV can be heard clearly.
“Ministry of Health is the most important stakeholder to be present on this kind of dialogues as well as Dikgosi, Councillors and MP’s because they are people who lead the women living with HIV in their respective wards,” she said.Mosojane said the reason why women issues are taken for granted is because of our culture; women are treated like children and not appreciated in most cases.“Policy makers should on regular basis sit down with the affected and hear their challenges from the horse’s mouth,” she added.
Boingotlo Gupta from BIA said as a small NGO they are really trying to address issues related to rights of women living with HIV and urged other players to partner with them in order to achieve one of the Vision 2016 pillars,” a compassionate, just and caring nation”.She said so far BIA has done four workshops across the country, documented 25 case studies of P.M.T.C.T and cervical cancer issues, and has 20 support groups as part of advocacy and awareness.The dialogue was held under the theme”Listen to US-Advancing sexual reproductive rights of women living with HIV in Botswana.

Meanwhile the recent State of the Nation Address indicated that in addressing incidence of cancer the government of Botswana has collaborated with US Centre for Disease Control and University of Pennsylvania in introducing new screening treatment methods for pre-cancerous lesions of the cervix. His Excellency Seretse Khama said cancer treatment centres has been created at Nyangabye and Princess Marina respectively.

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