People living with HIV/AIDS need more information on DTG drug - Activists

Sep 11, 2020

DTG, is a generic version of an advanced HIV drug and rolled out for use as a first-line treatment among patients taking antiretroviral drugs (ARVs).

HEALTH|HIV/AIDS|DRUGS

KAMPALA - The International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) have called for more sensitisation of people living with HIV/AIDS on the ARV single pill also known as dolutegravir (DTG).

According to the community scorecard that was conducted by ICWEA with support from Global Fund through TASO, it was discovered that some women living with HIV/AIDS thought that it worked for both HIV treatment and Family planning, which the activists said was wrong.

DTG, is a generic version of an advanced HIV drug and rolled out for use as a first-line treatment among patients taking antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). 

Uganda adopted DTG in September 2018 with support from the US government through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, Global Fund and the Government of Uganda.

Speaking during a press conference in Wakiso, the project coordinator ICWEA Beatrice Ajonye said the scorecard was conducted in 56 districts in the selected health facilities.

She explained that the community of people living with HIV and affected by HIV participated in the scorecard between September and March this year.

The districts include Bugiri, Kaliro, Luuka, Namutumba, Tororo, Busia , Mbale, Buuko and Buyende. Others are Kampala, Wakiso, Bundibugyo, Rubirizi, Ntoroko and Kisoro. Among others.

Some of the selected health facilities include Bufumbo Health Centre (HC) IV in Mbale, Chesower HC III Buuko, Rugazi HC IV in Rubirizi, KarugutuHC III in Kisoro and Kasangati HC IV in Wakiso districts   among others.

Dr. Joshua Musinguzi, the program manager AIDS Control Program from the Ministry of Health, said that they are working with health workers to intensify patients literacy adding that, during the process of enrolling people living with HIV/AIDS on treatment, they should be provided with full information on the drugs, how they are supposed to take them, how many times, what time of the day and what they should expect from the drugs, so that they use them properly.

He said sometimes because of pressure of time on health workers, it  may not be doing the best job in providing full information, adding that they are working with partners as they are rolling out the new guidelines 2020.

He said up to 700,000 clients have since been enrolled on DTG but they intend to roll it to 90% by the end of next year.

Previously DTG would not be prescribed to HIV-positive women seeking to become pregnant and those who were not using long-term contraception.

However, the new guidelines which were launched recently, allows them to give DTG to all women of child bearing age.

"Facilities are training and rolling out DTG as the preferred first-line to all populations, unlike in the past where we excluded women of child bearing age who were not on contraception,'' he said.

Ajonye said, the scorecard was qualitative and therefore they didn't capture numbers in terms of how many women, but during the focussed group discussions, women expressed their views and what they had experienced. 

But overall women in remote areas didn't have sufficient information on DTG and how effective it is and its side effects.

The Programs and Advocacy director, International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa, Dorothy Namutamba, said on initiation of DTG, people were putting on weight especially if they switched from their regimen to the single pill.

She recommended that tests should first be done for someone to be switched to DTG, adding that not everybody qualifies for DGT.  

The scorecard also reported challenges that hinder access to HIV, TB, malaria services among others.

It was discovered that at Health Centre III level, there was a huge gap in health services delivery, across all the districts.

 Ajonye said Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis and adolescent health services were performing very poorly across all the districts, giving an example that 7 out of 10 facilities didn't have youth friendly services for the young people.

She said the services for management of opportunistic infection among people living with HIV was also performing very poorly in the 56 districts.

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