Mzimba Reverend Moses Chimphepo has asked sectors in the district to train at least one HIV counselor.

1/09/10

District Commissioner for Mzimba Reverend Moses Chimphepo has asked sectors in the district to train at least one HIV counselor in a bid to step up interventions in the control of further spread of HIV and AIDS and mitigation of its impact at the work place.

Chimphepo was speaking Wednesday during a District Executive Committee- DEC briefing on the guidelines on the utilization of the 2% of Other Recurrent Transactions- ORT budget commitment towards HIV and AIDS at work place programme.

The briefing meeting was organized by the Department of Nutrition and HIV and AIDS in the Office of the President and Cabinet- OPC.

Chimphepo observed that HIV and AIDS has heavily impacted the human capital in both the public and private sectors as evidenced by reduced productivity due to increased absenteeism and deaths of well trained and qualified people because of prolonged illnesses.

Also speaking on the same, Chief Nutrition Program Officer in the Department of Nutrition and HIV and AIDS in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Kondwani Mpeniuwawa said government recognizes the importance of a healthy work force that will effectively contribute towards the country’s economic agenda.

Mpeniuwawa said it is against this background that government issued a directive that 2% of the sectors ORT should be committed towards HIV and AIDS activities in a bid to curb the pandemic’s spread and impact.
He therefore challenged the sector heads to stick to the directive now that the guidelines had been made available to them.