A group of Tanzanian Members of Parliament has commended the ongoing efforts in the fight against HIV/Aids, saying that Rwanda is a country that offers unique solutions aimed at controlling the scourge.

The twelve-man delegation is in the country on a study tour aimed at sharing experiences as well as focusing on the role of parliament in providing leadership for an effective response to HIV/AIDs.

Lediana Mng’ong’o a legislator representing Iringa region, said that she was impressed by how authorities in Rwanda have enabled thousands of people have access to antiretroviral drugs; a task she said still challenges many countries.

Mng’ong’o, a member of Tanzania’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on HIV/Aids, added that Rwanda also offers unique procurement measures for patients looking for drugs.

"I was impressed by the one-stop centre for medicine at CAMERWA that also offers ARVs,” the legislator, who is also head of the delegation said yesterday shortly after visiting UNAIDS offices.

She added that the kind of sharing knowledge, lessons learned and best practices amongst political leadership will go a long way in finding new ways of addressing old problems in HIV/Aids. 

Millicent Obaso, another member of the delegation, said that Rwanda is doing very well in the ‘task shifting initiative’ where well trained nurses are given authority to provide ARV’s to patients.

"This is good for countries to emulate because we always think that the task of giving out drugs should be left to highly qualified doctors,” Obaso said.

She also said that Rwanda, unlike many countries, has performed well in concurrently handling treatment and prevention measures, adding that countries usually excel in handling one of the two.

The visit, by the legislators, was supported by the U.S President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

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