Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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New Vision (Kampala) - August 23, 2009
Thomas Pere
Speaking at the awareness campaign, Arthur Namara, the principal director of HealthNet, Uganda, said: "There is now a community HIV/AIDS testing kit that takes only 20 minutes and you get your results. This is the first screening which is followed by the statpack, a confirmatory test. And the final one is the tie-breaker in case of discrepancies which is done by unigold."
Eyebrows were raised when two grass-thatched drinking shades were converted into testing and counselling rooms.
Namara said unlike women, men did not want to go to health centres for testing. He added that they had no choice but to go to the community. That evening, 44 people were tested.
To crown the event, boxes of condoms were distributed to the members of the drinking joint.
HealthNet Uganda is a local NGO that collaborates with TASO, the Uganda Virus Research Institute and any other agency dealing with HIV/AIDS. The NGO also trains counsellors.
Daniel Bakaki, the general chairman of Group Four malwa joint, thanked HealthNet for making them the pioneers of the campaign. "We now know facts about the disease which we did not know. Our 120 members, their families and friends are going to benefit from this knowledge we have got today."
Bakaki advised other drinking groups to think of development, growth and their wellbeing.
Godfrey Agutoko the coordinator of Caf Scientific, the project behind the campaign, said their association, in collaboration with members of a drinking joint, identify a topic and call professionals or a specialist to discuss it for the patrons of the bar free of charge.
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