Civil servants suffering from Aids to get K5000 monthly

By Emmanuel Luciano
Civil servants who are suffering from HIV/ Aids will get a new lease of life because government will be paying them an extra monthly K5000 to enable them access drugs and food supplements.
The government’s decision to consider the HIV positive civil servants is contained in the circular from the Office of the President’s Department of Human Resource Management and Development ref. No: HRM/GOP/20/61 dated November 5, 2007.
But Principal Secretary responsible for Nutrition and HIV and Aids in the Office of the President and Cabinet Dr. Mary Shaba said the civil servants who wanted to benefit from the K5000 monthly portion had to come forward if they wanted to access the facility.
“Though the issue of HIV and Aids is confidential, but what it means is that somebody should be prepared to come forward to provide information to those who are coordinating the issue in offices. You still have to tell somebody in one way or another.”
Dr. Shaba allayed fears of stigma that the monthly K5000 facility might generate in various government offices and departments.
“There are systems in offices that are being used. But we don’t need to have names of the people who are suffering from HIV and Aids.
“We are looking at developing some kind of a coupon system which bears the number of the individual and the code. If I lose my coupon, the number and code will not reveal the name of the owner. We are also using hospital health passport,” she said.
The Principal Secretary said they had already started implementing the facility.
“The issue was already being implemented because some people who needed help came out were assisted with food packages and it was through that system that those who were hiding also came out.”
Executive Director of Nurses and midwives organisation of Malawi Dorothy Ngoma said the monthly amount for the affected health workers was government’s way of implementing the policy on caring for caregivers.
“There was no system for caring for caregivers, yet the health workers who are infected need extra support. They need to buy extra drugs,” Ngoma said.
Ngoma, however, said it would have better if the money were used to buy insurance or a medical scheme for those that are HIV positive.
“It’s an opportunity for those who are HIV positive to buy insurance or Masm because they might be admitted at an expensive hospital to access better treatment at one time,” she said.
But Dr. Shaba said government has already worked out a more detailed guideline that will include a scheme.
“We are looking at the scheme that will go beyond the K5000 to reach the affected households. Once this guideline is discussed then it will be implemented. You realise that K5000 could not be sustainable,” she said.