Act on ‘false prophets’ to reduce number of ARVs defaulters – Manerela

A religious grouping Malawi Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected with HIV and Aids (MANERELA+) has expressed concern over people who default  on their Anti-Retroviral (ARV) treatment, a situation that may lead to drug resistance and has called upon the government through local Councils to take a swift action in dealing with false healing prophecies.

Kachepatsonga: Faith healers are abusing desperate people to market their churches, which is wrong

The development comes following the increase number of ART defaulters across the country.

Some experts have also said some people default due to stigma, discrimination and denial.

For instance in the Eastern Region District of Balaka alone, Nyasa Times has established that about 2 500 people have been defaulting   antiretroviral  treatment between June 2017 and July 2018.

While confirming the statistics, Balaka District Hospital Principal Clinic Officer Dickson Mambulu said the number is considerably high.

Mambulu said his office is currently doing a follow up to convince the defaulters to restart taking the life prolonging drugs.

According to the Principal Clinic Officer, defaulting breeds drug resistance.

Reacting to the sad development, MANERELA says this will hamper efforts to achieve 90:90:90 targets.

“As MANERELA+. Having a number of 2500 defaulters is on the higher side looking at efforts being made by various players on the ground on HIV and AIDS response. As MANERELA+ we will continue with our efforts to sensitize the masses on treatment adherence and we condemn those who claim they have healing power reaching a point of stopping people from taking ART,” said Harold Kachepatsonga, a Project Manager for MANERELA.

He added that: “We are also urging government through the local councils and parliament to come up with stiff penalties to these prophets because if something is not been done now, we will continue losing innocent souls”.

Kachepatsonga  said Aids-related mortality is increasing due to false prophecies, and reiterated that there was still no cure for HIV. He also pleaded and advised people taking ARVs  to join support groups for people living with HIV.

“Many people who are dying because of being prayed for are those that are not members of support groups” said Kachepatsonga.

He explained that ARVs can suppress the HIV virus to a level where it cannot be detected but it does not mean it is not there and once one start defaulting, it multiplies again.

Kachepatsonga asked government to  come up with a statutory instrument which can then be used to hold false healing prophets to account.

According to Kachepatsonga, under the global fund funded project the approach on PMTCT module is using of mentor mothers and men peer educators hence urging the implementing partners to join forces with other players on the ground to map the way forward.

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tiko
tiko
5 years ago

Extend the call to herbal medicine dealers as well. Some are informing patience to stop ARVs .

pacalo
pacalo
5 years ago

This is true. I know somebody who was taking AVR medication and was doing very well. Then she stopped and started going to these so called prophets to pray for her. Now her condition is getting worse. Please Malawians , we all believe in God but these prophets are just money grabbing hypocrites. Medicines are there for a reason.Malawi is supposed to be a God fearing country but the evidence tells a different story.Malawi is still the poorest country in the world and in some cases the most ignorant.Please take the AVR medicines and still praise God!

SUPER NATURAL MIRACLES
SUPER NATURAL MIRACLES
5 years ago

WE DON’T WANT TO HEAR OF SUICIDE CASES PLEASE !! HIV
IS NOT THE ONLY KILLER DISEASE — PEOPLE CAN DIE OF ANY DISEASE — EVEN ROAD ACCIDENT ‘-‘ DEATH IS DEATH -‘ WE ARE BORN ONCE DEATH IS NEXT — GOD BLESS !

MEDMAN
MEDMAN
5 years ago

so if you catch Malaria now you are not going to seek medical help because you know you will already die in the end?? what kind of doctrine is this,??,remember Jesus healed people

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