The focal point for the National Association of Women Living with HIV in Mundri, Western Equatoria state, revealed about half of the people living with HIV in Mundri are not collecting and taking their antiretroviral therapy (ART) as prescribed by the center.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj early this week, Janet Flora, said out of the more than two hundred registered, half of those turn up for their medicines.
“The challenge we face here is that we have sufficient drugs but our patients who take drugs from here are not picking up their drugs. We used to have more than two hundred people but now only around one hundred come for their medicines,” Flora said.
A beneficiary of the center who spoke on the condition of anonymity highlighted the importance of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in managing HIV.
“When I tested HIV positive in 2018, I was very weak, sickly, and did not know that I would live. But when I started taking the medicine I improved tremendously and now I am fine. When they check my viral load they find nothing. That is the benefit from the medicine.” she said.
“My message to the other HIV-positive people is that they should come and pick their medicine and take it as prescribed. For those who live far, they can come and spend the night nearby and pick their medicine,” Flora added.