The Sunday News
SINDILE Ncube (not her real name) is a sex worker who was infected with Chlamydia and sought treatment at a local health institution but was told to bring her sexual partner for treatment too.
She obviously was in no position to bring her so-called sexual partner.
This is the unfortunate reality for a number of people who have been turned away at health institutions on the basis that they did not have their sexual partner with them.
According to Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), health policies in the country are discriminatory and deny people access to healthcare as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Rights and the Constitution.
Treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in Zimbabwe has been met by various discriminatory clauses that will in the long run hinder people from seeking treatment if not looked into.
One such policy is the condition that an STI patient brings their sexual partners so that they both get treatment at the same time.
This was defended by National Aids Council monitoring and evaluation director Mr Amon Mpofu.
“We encourage people to come for treatment with their sexual partner so that we do not have a situation where there is re-infection if one partner does not get treatment,” he said.
He said treating one partner was futile as they would end up having recurring STI’s and this meant repeated treatment which could lead to drug resistance.
Mr Mpofu said it was essential that people who seek treatment for STIs actually get the required services.
“I hope these people who are seeking treatment are not turned away for not having their partners with them because it is essential that one gets treatment as soon as they go there,” he said.
He, however, said it was of paramount importance that human rights and confidentiality should be considered.
“Human rights and confidentiality must be considered and respected in such cases. A person has the right to have their conditions treated with utmost confidence if it is their wish,” he said.
“When people come for treatment we also encourage them to bring in their spouses or partners and we explain to them the condition that their partner has. We call this shared confidentiality.”
Mr Mpofu said it was possible to eradicate STIs if people came through for treatment as couples unlike when one comes alone.
Human rights lawyer Mr Lizwe Jamela said confidentiality was important in any health case.
“Basic healthcare is a human right; issues discussed should be between you and your health care provider and nothing to do with your partner. Bringing in your partner is a choice not a prerequisite,” he said.
He said the healthcare provider could just suggest but there was no legal basis that compels a person to bring in a partner.
On the other hand, Mr Jamela said the health institutions were also justified to encourage the ill person to bring in their partner so that there was complete treatment and no cases of re-infection.
On the issue of HIV testing, he said a woman should not be denied access to antenatal care if she does not want to get an HIV test or bring her partner.
“Getting tested is an issue of choice, a pregnant woman can refuse to be tested and her decision must be respected. Even if she chooses not to bring her partner for testing, it’s a personal choice. The healthcare provider should not therefore refuse her access to services on that basis,” he added.
Mr Jamela also said some STI’s were acquired from not-so-permanent partners and unions which make it difficult to command that a person brings in their partner.
“Some infections are contracted in once-off sex sessions (one night stands) or through casual sex and that partner is nowhere to be found so one cannot be denied that chance to get treatment because they do not have their partner at hand,” he said.
Section 76 (1) of the Constitution states that: “Every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has the right to have access to basic healthcare services, including reproductive health-care services . . . No person may be refused emergency medical treatment in any health-care institution.”
In the Constitution, a person is granted the right to privacy which states that a person has the right not to have their health condition disclosed.
Regional programme manager for health and development for Panos Institute Southern Africa Mamoletsane Khati told journalists during a training session on law and human rights facilitated by ZLHR recently that it was their duty to challenge some policies.
“The media is responsible for challenging many of these policies that do not seem to incorporate the aspect of human rights. It is through their work and research that they can expose some policies that are imposed on people,” she said.
She said there was a need for the domestication of some treaties that are meant to protect the interest of people especially in terms of health.
ZLHR said they were geared to enhance understanding of law and human rights among media practitioners in Zimbabwe and build competencies of media practitioners to mainstream human rights in reporting stories or producing related media products.
NAC says it recorded 53 000 cases of STIs in Harare alone between January and June last year with the last half figures not yet available. Harare has about 1,6 million people.
However NAC said these figures could just be a tip of the iceberg as most people sought treatment from private institutions while others prefer traditional concoctions.
Zimbabwe is one of the 15 countries that account for 75 percent of new HIV infections globally.
