HIV testing campaign taken to Ntsinda Prison

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Rwanda organised voluntary HIV testing for inmates at Ntsinda Prison in Rwamagana District to enable prisoners understand their sero status.According to Olive Mukantabarwa, the prison’s director, the testing was organised with the aim of giving early care and treatment to those who would test positive for the incurable virus.She said the prison has a programme of giving special food for the HIV-positive inmates to help boost their CD4 cell count. Three hundred twenty-four inmates in the prison out of 7,708 are HIV-positive, Mukantabarwa said after the testing exercise last week.“We give them food supplements to boost their CD4 cell count and with health insurance, they are able to access anti-retroviral drugs at the prison’s clinic,” Mukantabarwa said.Care for inmatesDr Horatius Munyampunda, the AHF Rwanda programme manager, said the inmates have a right to know their HIV status and access quality healthcare.“We are carrying out HIV testing not only for prisons but also other institutions. Once an inmate tests positive for the deadly virus, we a support the health providers at the prison to treat and follow up the subjects, provide nutritional supplements and anti-retroviral drugs,” Dr Munyampunda said.Darius Rukundo, one of the inmates, said he was interested in knowing his status so as to know how to conduct himself.“I want to know my status, so if I am positive I start the medication straight away. Here in prison, we might not be having sex but we can acquire the virus from the materials we share; for instance, we share a razor to cut our nails,” Rukundo said.AHF started operations in Rwanda in January 2006 with two sites and presently supports eight health centres in three districts of Nyabihu, Nyarugenge and Gasabo.“We provide anti-retroviral drugs, CD4 testing and lab monitoring nutritional supplements and treatment of opportunistic infections,” Dr Munyampunda said.“We are committed to helping pregnant women avoid infecting their unborn babies with the virus, as well as providing the best in paediatric HIV care and performing tuberculosis tests, offering family planning services and social support.”

National

HIV testing campaign taken to Ntsinda Prison