{"id":3933,"date":"2020-09-22T13:25:19","date_gmt":"2020-09-22T13:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/?p=3933"},"modified":"2020-09-22T13:35:49","modified_gmt":"2020-09-22T13:35:49","slug":"covid-19-hurts-access-to-arvs-reach-out-mbuya-clients-speak-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/?p=3933","title":{"rendered":"COVID 19 Hurts Access To ARVs: Reach Out Mbuya Clients Speak Out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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BY PATRICK JARAMOGI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

KAMPALA, Uganda|SHIFTMEDIA<\/strong>| Since its outbreak in Wuhan in\nChina in December last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused much uncertainty\naround the world, including for people living with and affected by HIV in\nUganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latest scientific research indicates that COVID-19 has the potential to\ncause substantial disruptions to health services, due to cases overburdening\nthe health system or response measures limiting usual programmatic activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grace Among who has lived with HIV\/AIDs for the last 15 years and has\nbeen on drugs is among the 1.4 million Ugandan HIV positive patients who have\nbeen inconvenienced by the COVID 19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the scale-up of HIV treatment in Uganda in recent years, people\nliving with HIV do not have access to antiretroviral therapy, which may\ncompromise their immune systems. According to Among, the 40-year-old mother of\ntwo who has been receiving drugs from Reach Out Mbuya the lockdown greatly\naffected access to ARVs and other related HIV\/AIDS services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince 2005 I have been accessing my drugs smoothly from Reach Out Mbuya\nuntil the lockdown was announced in late March. Accessing the services was made\ndifficult due to lack of transport. Public transport was banned, and the boda\nboda\u2019s (motorbikes) that we were fond of using were restricted to only carrying\nluggage,\u201d said Among in an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The resident of Kinawakata in Mbuya, Nakawa Division in Kampala said the\nissue of curfew also compounded the challenge of accessing drugs. \u201cThe staff\nwho used to attend to us had limited hours to work amidst the challenges of\ntransport. This means we hours of attending to us was reduced drastically,\u201d she\nsaid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among who earns a living by selling fresh vegetables and fruits in her\nverandah has an appeal to government: \u201cTo help those like her (HIV positive\npersons) with support in form of start-ups to be able to sustain life\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted that the pandemic greatly affected their income since most\npeople were no longer working, but locked at home. \u201cThe purchasing power went\nlow, people no longer purchase as they did before the lockdown and curfew. I\nappeal to the government to support us with capital as people living with\nHIV\/AIDS,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among\u2019s call is similar to that of UNAIDS that urged Governments to\nrespect the human rights and dignity of people affected by COVID-19. \u201cThe\nexperiences learned from the HIV epidemic can be applied to the fight against\nCOVID-19. As in the AIDS response, governments should work with communities to\nfind local solutions,\u201d noted UNAIDS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UNAIDs has cautioned those people living with HIV, especially those with\nadvanced or poorly controlled HIV disease to pay attention to the prevention\nmeasures and recommendations given by health officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though UNAIDS called for having multi-month refills of HIV medicines for\nthose living with HIV, majority who had stock outs before the lockdown was\nannounced were caught off guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reach Out Mbuya has been offering support to the communities in Nakawa\nSlums since 2001 when it started with just 14 clients. To date, Reach Out Mbuya\nhas over 7,000 clients, 86% being adults and 14 children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from providing Anti- Retroviral (ARV), Reach Out Mbuya also supports\ncommunities with psychosocial support, counselling, therapy, Teenage and\nAdolescents support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reach Out\nMbuya officials receive food donations from well-wishers during the lockdown
\nPHOTO\/REACH OUT MBUYA <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Etide Cosmas, another beneficiary of the Reach Out Mbuya services has\nsimilar sentiments regarding accessing HIV services during the lockdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The father of two has been receiving ARVs from Reach Out since 2010. \u201cIt\nis when the COVID 19 attacked us that life became miserable. Since I was a boda\nboda rider, the lockdown forced me to first return to my home village in\nTororo,\u201d he said during an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Etide said accessing drugs while in the village was \u2018hell\u2019. \u201cI had to\ntravel some 15kms to the TASO health facility in Tororo. Accessing boda bodas\nwas difficult. Riders feared carrying passengers due to the restrictions. Those\nthat dared, asked for hefty prices,\u201d said Etide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that aside, the drugs given at TASO Tororo were different from\nwhat he was accessing in Kampala. This he said led to drug resistance that\nthreatened his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Etide notes that most HIV patients he interacted within the village, who\nhad no access to transport were greatly hurt due to failure to access drugs and\nother HIV\/AIDS services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lockdown, according to Etide also brought other miseries such as\ninadequate access to money. \u201cJust like I said, as a boda boda rider, living\nwith HIV\/AIDS. Life wasn\u2019t rosy, feeding wasn\u2019t easy, we had no job, let alone\nI had a loan from the Tugende Boda loan that I had just secured at the\nbeginning of the year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the restricted movement due to curfew further compounded the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Etide has an appeal to the government to help them clear their loans\nsince the lockdown affected their payments that have now led to accumulated\ninterests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reach Out Mbuya Medic speaks out<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Prossy Namaganda, a medic at Reach Out Mbuya co-concurred with Among\nand Etide regarding challenges met due to COVID 19 pandemic. \u201cBy the time\nLockdown was announced, we, as Reach Out Mbuya were not prepared. The effect\nwas both positive and negative. We had challenges of accessing the health\nfacilities due to transport challenges,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said the four sites of Reach Out Mbuya that includes; Mbuya,\nKinawataka, Banda and Luwero were affected. \u201cNot that we didn\u2019t have drugs, but\nissues of transport. Some clients had difficulties accessing the sites, while\nsome staff had to work a few hours due to curfew restrictions.\u201d \u201cOur normal\nworking hours were from 8-5 pm, but now we had to report late to work and leave\nearly due to curfew. This led to shorter interactions with our clients and\naffected the quality access of drugs by our clients,\u201d said Dr Namaganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reach Out Mbuya premises
\nCourtesy Photo <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Namaganda explained that when times became \u201chard\u2019, Reach Out Mbuya\ndispatched its vans to deliver drugs to clients. \u201cSome staff had to be\ninconvenienced by staying near their outreach centers, far from the comfort of\ntheir homes so as to reach out to their clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said through the Community Network of Care (CATTS), the role out of\ndrugs and other HIV services was made possible. Under CATTS, Namaganda says,\nsome clients are hired out to help reach out to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Namaganda hailed government for giving them drugs but appealed for more\ninfrastructural development and extension of services closer to the people.\n\u201cGovernment has done its part, we appreciate, but if health facilities would be\nequipped with human resource and drugs, then those clients who come to Mbuya\ncan access these services wherever they are,\u201d said Namaganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said Reach Out Mbuya has all through the lockdown had enough drugs\nfor their over 7,000 clients. \u201cBut since some of our clients were either locked\nup in villages, they wouldn\u2019t access drugs in those health centers. Some\nclients said they were chased away because they were not accessing drugs from\nthose health facilities,\u201d she said. \u201cThat is why I am saying government should\nconsider taking drugs closer to the people. I also appeal for a policy to be\nput in place to allow HIV positive pregnant mothers access ARVs from any health\ncenter they are in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COVID-19 and people living with HIV<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

COVID-19 is a serious disease and all people living with HIV should take\nall recommended preventive measures to minimize exposure to, and prevent\ninfection by, the virus that causes COVID-19. As in the general\npopulation, older people living with HIV or people living with HIV with heart\nor lung problems may be at a higher risk of becoming infected with the virus\nand of suffering more serious symptoms. All people living with HIV should reach\nout to their health-care providers to ensure that they have adequate stocks of\nessential medicines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in\nanimals or humans. COVID-19 is the name given to the infectious disease caused\nby the most recently discovered novel coronavirus, called severe acute\nrespiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This new virus and disease\nwere unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Not\neveryone who is infected with SARS-CoV-2 will end up getting sick with the\ndisease, COVID-19, and people can have anything from no symptoms at all to\nbeing mildly sick or severely ill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to findings, deaths due to HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria over\n5 years could increase by up to 10%, 20%, and 36%, respectively, compared with\nif there was no COVID-19 pandemic. The greatest impact on HIV was estimated to\nbe from interruption to antiretroviral therapy, which could occur during a\nperiod of high health system demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For tuberculosis, the greatest impact would be from reductions in timely diagnosis and treatment of new cases, which could result from any prolonged period of COVID-19 suppression interventions. The greatest impact on malaria burden could be as a result of the interruption of planned net campaigns. These disruptions could lead to a loss of life-years over 5 years that is of the same order of magnitude as the direct impact from COVID-19 in places with a high burden of malaria and large HIV and tuberculosis epidemics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists have noted that the COVID-19 pandemic could cause a\nsubstantial increase in HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria deaths in settings with\nhigh burdens of those diseases. The impact varies according to the extent to\nwhich interventions against COVID-19 cause prolonged disruptions to activities,\nand how successfully those measures suppress transmission of severe acute\nrespiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and avoid the health system being\noverwhelmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The impact on HIV, tuberculosis, or malaria could be minimized by maintaining core services: continued access to antiretrovirals, maintenance of tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment, and early resumption of the distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite differences in how the viruses are spread, HIV and COVID-19 have\nin common fear and anxiety related to transmission. Similar to the early days\nof the HIV epidemic, when information about treatment and prevention was\nlacking, there is a lot of fear about contracting COVID-19 in the absence of a\nvaccine or scientifically proven treatments to address symptoms and prevent\ndeath. Such fear and anxiety have implications for mental health and promotes\ndisease-related stigma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HIV-related stigma is well established and, because of its impact on HIV testing and treatment, research on effective HIV-stigma reduction interventions is prevalent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As published by shift media news on September 11, 2020.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BY PATRICK JARAMOGI KAMPALA, Uganda|SHIFTMEDIA| Since its outbreak in Wuhan in China in December last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused much uncertainty around the world, including for people living with and affected by HIV in Uganda. Latest scientific research indicates that COVID-19 has the potential to cause substantial disruptions to health services, due to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3934,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}