Source: Ministry of Health shifts focus to Mvurwi as tobacco season triggers demand for condoms – herald
Fungai Lupande
Mashonaland Central Bureau
The Ministry of Health and Child Care in Mashonaland Central has started reallocating pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and condoms from overstocked districts to Mvurwi due to high usage in the area.
With 13 tobacco auction floors operating in Mvurwi, the town is usually bustling with activity during the tobacco selling season.
The activity during the tobacco selling season has attracted commercial sex workers with reports suggesting that more than 1 000 are currently residing in Mvurwi.
Mr Kisto Chikurira, the provincial HIV focal person, indicated that sex workers could see up to 20 clients per day.
He noted that although the uptake of female condoms remains low, the Ministry is redistributing male condoms from low-usage districts like Mbire to Mvurwi.
Commercial sex workers, along with single women, have been identified as a key population in the transmission of new HIV infections within the province.
Mr Chikurira pointed out that the shortage of condoms and PrEP can be attributed to hoarding tendencies following United States President Donald Trump’s aid freeze, which halted funding for PEPFAR projects.
At a stakeholder sensitisation meeting organised by the National AIDS Council (NAC), Mr Chikurira reassured the province that the Government, through NAC, is working diligently to secure more anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs and condoms.
He added that the National Pharmaceutical Council has sufficient stocks to last throughout the year.
“Mazowe is a high-usage district and some sex workers are resorting to unsafe sex practices. The redistribution of condoms and PrEP is currently underway,” he said.
“Medicines are procured a year in advance and we urge people to refrain from hoarding and stockpiling medications.”
Regarding the impact of President Trump’s stop-work order, Mr Chikurira said the limited number of primary care counsellors somewhat affected USAID-supported clinics in the province.
The withdrawal of these counsellors increased the workload for nurses at high-volume clinics and data collection was disrupted at facilities still relying on paper-based systems.
Fortunately, Mazowe, Guruve, Mt Darwin and Mbire have adopted electronic data collection methods.
Mr Chikurira noted that the viral load sample collection process faced significant setbacks because of the stop-work order.
Collected samples are sent to the National Microbiology Laboratory at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital, previously supported by PEPFAR’s integrated sample transportation system.
Samples would traditionally be transported by riders four times a week for high-volume clinics and twice a week for others.
However, Mazowe, Guruve, Mt Darwin and Mbire experienced immediate halts in this service.
In contrast, districts supported by the Global Fund – Bindura, Mazowe, Shamva and Centenary – reported no such setbacks.
Mr Chikurira said operations normalised after a week when environmental health technicians took over.
Another area affected was the voluntary male circumcision (VMC) programme, which was primarily supported by various partners.
Currently, only ZAZIC continues to provide VMC services in Guruve and Mbire, while services in six other districts are at a standstill.
“We are pleased that no patient was turned away without access to ARVs and all refills were completed,” he said.
Mr Edgar Muzulu, the NAC provincial manager, explained that the meeting aimed to raise awareness about current trends and data related to HIV, non-communicable diseases, sexual reproductive health and drug abuse within the province.
“We are facilitating dialogue among provincial heads of departments to share insights and experiences regarding integrating public health responses,” he said.
“We are also advocating for resource allocation to address these health challenges, including funding for prevention programmes, treatment services, and public awareness campaigns.”
He emphasised that the meeting was designed to empower provincial leaders with tools and strategies to engage in effective advocacy and collaboration with national-level agencies, NGOs and community stakeholders.
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