PSI Lesotho, with the support of the Ministry of Health believes that, with the current pandemic of COVID-19, or Coronavirus Disease, it is more important than ever for Basotho to continue to access various HIV services and to know their status, whilst still maintaining recommended standards and behaviors of social distancing in order to minimize the risk of spread for COVID-19.
With the generosity of UNITAID, PSI Lesotho and the Lesotho Ministry of Health have been involved in a multi-year, regional program, the HIV Self-Testing Africa Initiative (STAR), which encourages and provides kits, for individuals to screen themselves for HIV, using portable Self-Test kits that can be used anywhere by the client as they wish. The HIV Self-Testing program has been running in Lesotho since December 2017, distributing HIV Self-Testing kits to more than 200,000 Basotho across the country to date.
Speaking on the importance of HIV-Self Testing, PSI Lesotho’s Program Director, Dr. Cyril Nkomo states that:
“In the 19 years of PSI operating in Lesotho towards the improvement of the health of Basotho, we have committed tremendous resources with the generosity of various donors and partners to ensure that all Basotho know their HIV Status, get on ART and remain on long term treatment. The HIV Self-Test strategy and product allows us to achieve this even more effectively – with individuals being able to get a Self-Test kit for free, test in their own privacy or with a trusted person, and start to enjoy the importance of knowing their HIV status and getting on treatment if need be.”
Dr. Nkomo continues that, “In this day of COVID-19, it is even more so important for people to make use of this Self-Test tool, as we are all encouraged to maintain stringent levels of Physical Distancing. This means that our work as PSI in the communities of testing people in our mobile sites that we work hard to bring close to them; that work has stopped for the time being, however it is still imperative that people get to find out their status, and immediately get on treatment if they need to.”
HIV-Self Test kits are distributed in partnership with the Ministry of Health and can be access free of charge at all major government health facilities, as well as PSI’s New Start sites across various districts in the country.
With Coronavirus seemingly affecting those with compromised immune systems with much greater intensity, PSI Lesotho strongly urges Basotho to make use of the HIV Self-Test product, so that if need be, they get initiated on treatment as soon as possible and bolster their immune systems to give themselves a fighting chance against this opportunistic pandemic.
The HIV Self-Test kit, is a screening tool, and it is advised that after each test, if it comes out positive (result with two lines), individuals continue on to a health facility to take a follow up confirmatory test and to get started on treatment.
PSI Lesotho strongly urges Basotho to remain faithful and compliant with the all national guidelines regarding prevention of the spread of COVID-19, and to access the HIV-Self Test Kits at facilities, responsibly, and with particular observation of the physical and social distancing rules that are meant to protect all Basotho from the COVID-19 pandemic.
HIV Self-Test Kits can be accessed at all PSI New Start Sites, as well as government health facilities nationwide. PSI has also set up pick-up distribution points in high traffic areas across the country to facilitate access to the testing kits.