Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
The Non-Governmental Organisations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) says the pronouncement on mandatory HIV testing, counseling and treatment by government does very little in respecting citizen’s individual rights especially to privacy which are guaranteed in the Republican Constitution.
NGOCC Executive Director Engwase Mwale says her organisation is very alive to the fact that Zambia subscribes to the goal to eliminate AIDS by 2030 and that the ambitious declaration to make HIV testing compulsory does less to the complexities that surround the pandemic.
She says a number of key human rights protocols and conventions such as the International Convention on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights to which Zambia is a signatory stand to be abrogated with this pronouncement with regards to issues of privacy.
Ms Mwale says it is the responsibility of each and every individual to decide on issues of their personal health voluntarily.
She notes that government’s capacity to handle cases that were born out of Voluntary Counselling and Testing cases has not been encouraging.
She says it is the NGOCC’s considered view that government should have invested in scaling up counseling and sensitization on Voluntary Counseling and Testing as opposed to compulsory HIV Testing.
Ms Mwale says NGOCC is of the strong view that sensitization will play a key role in promoting behavioral change around the pandemic.
She states that compelling an individual to test is not a guarantee that they will adhere to the treatment they will be put on.
The NGOCC Executive Director adds that compulsory HIV Testing may result in the general public especially those not ready to be tested, shunning the health facilities.