Phyllis Kachere
The number of Zimbabweans on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has almost doubled to over half a million while 115 577 are on the waiting list to start the life-saving treatment. This is a massive jump from the recent 300 000 who were receiving the treatment through the Government-subsidised anti-retroviral (ARV) programme in 2010. In an interview with The Sunday Mail last week the director of the HIV, Aids and Tuberculosis Unit, Dr Owen Mgurungi, said 320 320 are  women. Unfortunately due to the low uptake of ARVs amongst children, only 41 441 youngsters are benefiting from this programme while a mere 9 942 children are on the waiting list. The Clinton Health Access Initiative (formerly Clinton Foundation) has been the sole funder supporting the paediatric formulations since 2006. “The figures appear to show women as the biggest beneficiaries of anti-retroviral therapy, meaning that men have other avenues of getting the drugs. Most of them have been absorbed by the private sector through their medical aid facilities,” said Dr Mgurungi.