By Dickson Bandera
Zimbabwe has moved to avert a potential HIV treatment crisis among thousands of citizens returning from South Africa, with more than 42 500 returnees screened at Beitbridge as authorities seek to ensure that people living with HIV do not fall off treatment.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care said it had put in place mechanisms to identify returnees who arrive without antiretroviral therapy (ART), provide emergency treatment where necessary and connect them to health facilities in their areas of residence.
The intervention follows concerns raised in an August 5 Health Policy Watch report, “Zimbabweans Fleeing Xenophobia in South Africa Battle to Get HIV Medicine Back Home,” which highlighted challenges faced by some Zimbabweans returning from South Africa.
But the Health Ministry has pushed back against suggestions that returning citizens are being left without access to HIV medication, saying Zimbabwe has the capacity to absorb them into its national ART programme.
As of August 24, 42 501 government-assisted and self-repatriated returnees had been screened at Beitbridge, making the border post a critical frontline in the country’s response to the growing movement of people back into Zimbabwe.
Health workers are screening returnees for HIV, hypertension, diabetes and communicable diseases, while those requiring further medical attention are referred for treatment.
For people living with HIV who arrive without medication or have interrupted treatment, the ministry said health workers can provide an immediate treatment bridge where clinically appropriate.
They are then linked to health facilities in their districts for continued ART, clinical assessment and monitoring.
The ministry stressed that the medication provided at the border is an emergency bridge and not a substitute for long-term treatment.
Zimbabwe currently has about 1.23 million people on ART, representing approximately 95% of people living with HIV, according to the ministry.
The scale of the returnee movement has nevertheless placed increased pressure on border screening and referral systems, making rapid identification and linkage to healthcare critical.
The ministry said no deaths had been recorded at the Beitbridge Reception and Support Centre as of August 24 and that health screening, referral and treatment-support services remained operational.
While acknowledging that some returnees may have experienced treatment interruptions before or during their journey home, the ministry said such cases were being addressed through existing continuity-of-care mechanisms.
It said the priority was to ensure that no returning Zimbabwean living with HIV was lost to follow-up.
“Identify, support, refer and successfully link” is now the ministry’s stated approach as Zimbabwe manages the health implications of the continuing return of citizens from South Africa.
