District councils in Coast Region have been urged to revive HIV/AIDS committees at the village and ward levels, so they can beef up the fight against the pandemic.
Regional Commissioner (RC), Mrs Mwantumu Mahiza
The call was made by the Regional Commissioner (RC), Mrs Mwantumu Mahiza, when launching the Prevention Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) initiative in Kibaha town. “I call on district councils to work hand in hand with these committees in order to reach people at the grass-roots level.
I understand that most of these committees no longer exist, so it is upon you to revive them,” she said. The RC urged the councils to form the committees as soon as possible, saying there was no point in failing to do so after receiving funds.
“It is a shame to be enabled financially and yet fail to deliver. We need to reach the people timely,” she explained.
For her part, the managing director of Tanzania Health Programme Support (THPS), which is implementing the project in the country.
Dr Redempta Mbatia, said the project aimed to achieve four goals, namely prevention of new infections; reduction in unwanted pregnancies in women living with HIV/AIDS by providing reproductive health services at care and treatment centres (CTCs); preventing infections from mother to child by using ARVs, as well as providing care and treatment to women living with HIV/AIDS and their partners. The project is jointly funded by the government and USAID through the Centre for Disease Control (CDC).
By HARRIET KIAMA, Tanzania Daily News
