SIR â€” In last weekâ€™s health and beauty column, I read with concern the story of David Senyonga, who tested for HIV in a prominent hospital and was found positive.

However, when he tested again three weeks later, he tested negative at Mulago hospital. Dr Stephen Watiti, an HIV activist did well to advise Senyonga and other would-be victims to follow certain procedures to avoid such mishaps.

I concur with him on procedures like undergoing pre-test and post-test counselling. Personally, I am a counsellor who received training from the Aids Information Centre (AIC).

Some principles I was taught in the counselling and testing procedure that are protective of the clientâ€™s physical, emotional and psyhcological wellbeing, which are supposed to be followed are never adhered to, partcularly in clinics and hospitals that are privately owned.

I have proof of this from two reputable medical centres in the center of Kampala where everyone would run to for professional medical services! First, I go to one of them on Kampala road, I present my problem(testing for HIV) and I am told to queue up. Next is my turn to go into the doctorâ€™s room.

Without any counselling (or at least â€˜questioningâ€™ why I wanted to test), a blood sample is taken from me and I go back to the waiting room. I am called back later to receive my results and the only thing I am told is that they are fine.

I am handed a certificate indicating the results, tests used, and the doctor on duty. The same day I go to another clinic in Nakulabye and the story is the same.

The difference here is someone in the name of a counsellor talks to me after my blood sample has been taken, and the question I am asked is â€œWhat have you come here for?â€! Remember, my blood is already in the lab.

This counsellor is not bad, she goes ahead
to tell me the story of ARVs and how they work, reading from the poster
on the wall in the tiny room where we are.

I am amused but decide to look her straight in the eye. She kind of gets intimidated by my look and silence and the story of ARVs soon comes to an end. For courtesy reasons, I say â€˜thank youâ€™. She rushes to the lab and brings my results and says they are okay.

If I had been positive, I would have thought my life had come to an end. This shows how we are not about to win the war against HIV. As long as clients do not get pre-test counselling, where the counsellor helps them assess the risk they have been facing and putting in place risk reduction plans and knowing where to go for services after testing positive, we are doomed.

And being given a certificate is very deceptive, because people who are still in the â€˜window periodâ€™ can abuse it. David Senyongaâ€™s experience should have been an eye-opener to the government authorities to institute investigations into how people are tested for HIV in private medical establishements.

If it means putting a policy on the counselling and testing procedure, so be it. After all, AIC has trained relatively many counsellors who can be employed in private medical practice to help people remain with hope when they go for HIV testing.

Name withheld

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By NewVision Reporter

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