The people living with HIV/AIDS in the Ssese Islands of Kalangala district have appealed to the government to extend effective health services towards them mainly on islands without health facilities.

This was brought to the fore during a meeting held at Bufumira Health Centre III with the aim of checking their CD4 count, getting counselling services, as well as holding their end of year celebrations.

Innocent Shemereirwe, one of the persons living with HIV narrated that they find it difficult to travel from the island of Buyovu to Bufumira in case of any emergency and for routine medical check-ups.

Some of drugs that the government supplied to health facilities in Kalangala that are inaccessible to patients. Photo by Samuel Nkuba

“We want the government to enhance monthly medical outreaches for us as HIV/AIDS patients majorly on islands without health facilities as it plans to at least construct health centre IIs on every island,” said Shemereirwe.

The further revealed that counselling services are scarce on the islands yet people need them often.

Jude Matovu who is in charge of Bufumira Health Centre III, said that the government should think about paying VHTs to perform some counselling roles mainly to HIV/AIDS patients, train them and equip them with all the necessary information and equipment to handle these patients from their respective villages.