FIFTY-TWO thousand Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) self-screening kits have been given to PNG with support from the United Nations (UN).
The presentation was done yesterday with the first shipment of 26,000 HIV self-screening kits now available for distribution and would be rolled out in the National Capital District, Morobe, Eastern Highlands, and Western Highlands, according to Dr Nano Gideon, the HIV/ Sexually Transmitted Infection programme manager for Department of Health (DoH).
“Prevention has been one of those biggest challenges and we have come to this point where we need to move beyond some of the traditional ways of delivering care to our people,” he said.
“The community can test in their own safe space without discrimination, stigma, and without fear of many of the challenges that they face.”
The self-screening kits are the oral fluid swab type.
According to the instructions that come with the kit, to test oneself, one needs to swab the lower and upper gums.
Then insert the swab into a provided solution vial and the results come in about 20 minutes.
UN resident coordinator Shalini Bahuguna said that only 60 per cent of people living with HIV knew their status as the remaining 40 per cent feared public stigma.
“This is a breakthrough in health equity,” Bahuguna said.
“These tools ensure privacy and confidentiality, allowing people to take control of their health with dignity.”
Nano emphasised the critical nature of the roll out.
“You cannot treat unless you test. HIV is diagnosed through testing. It is very important,” he said.
He noted that drawing blood had been a major challenge, as national health policies required a certified health worker to perform the procedure.
“In NCD we saw the testing actually take off to almost 10,000 in a period of six months and we want to command Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) support,” Nano said.
“We are now moving to Morobe, Eastern Highlands and Western Highlands because that is where most of our people are moving because of the oil and gas hinterland of the highlands and you have the highways linking the cities.
“When there is a lot of movement, you can see that there is potential for many risks.”
DFAT first secretary Dr Ramez Alhazzaa reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to supporting rural populations.
