Kenya: Elderly Living with HIV/AIDS Requests Services from Senior Medical Practitioners

By Iyaya Kevin

Western Elders Council has send its recommendations to the Government to have retired practitioners absorbed back into hospitals to help guide and counsel the elderly people who go for HIV testing and Counseling.

Elderly people at the county level are getting a raw deal in HIV testing, treatment and counseling due to poor policies in place at the moments. Senior citizens are being discriminated against in hospitals and clinics when they seek health services said the council Secretary General, Japheth Barua

Speaking, Tuesday May 20 in Busia town, Mr. Barua said younger doctors don’t understand that these elderly persons might have contracted the virus, at a younger age of between 45 - 55years.

 This makes it difficult for elderly patients to seek medical help, as they are stigmatized and subjected to embarrassing situations, thus succumb to the disease earlier than they are supposed to or end up infecting other people unknowingly.

“It is not easy to live with HIV virus and one needs all the support he/she can get from health personnel and the society, but if we seclude and discriminate against them, then what is the use of fighting it?” said Nambale Mp, Philip Masinde.

He also said that there was need for the government to stock public hospitals with Anti-retro viral (ARV) drugs so as the poor people in our counties can afford.

African as a continent has the largest population of people living with HIV virus today, and the number is rising day and night at a very alarming rate. Majority being the young people, with the most neglected being the elderly. 

Humanitarian organizations in Africa are engaging the communities directly in form of debates, open forums and campaigns to create awareness, putting emphasis on protected sex, one-sex partner, frequent HIV testing to know one’s status via mobile clinic and door to door counseling initiatives aimed at curtailing its spread . “To achieve a HIV free continent, we need the government at our disposal.”

The government should employ more doctors and counselors to cope with the ever rising numbers of people with the infection seeking medical help in public hospitals and clinics so as to counter the rate at which the Kenya population is growing.