BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Five countries have been in this country to find out how Eswatini has been able to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
These countries include Nepal, Malaysia, India, Malawi, and Lesotho and they have been in the country, courtesy of the Family Life Association of Eswatini (FLAS). These countries had been in a workshop, which lasted for a week, and it was organised by FLAS. The main subject matter during the workshop was pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
PrEP is a medicine that can reduce the risk of getting HIV from sex or injection drug use. It is an antiretroviral medication that is taken by people who do not have HIV, but are at high risk of exposure. It is said to be highly effective when taken as prescribed.
Yesterday (Thursday, December 19, 2024), FLAS held a closing ceremony to mark the end of the workshop. The ceremony was held at Hilton Garden Inn, Mbabane. The ceremony was graced by the presence of Minister of Health Mduduzi Matsebula, his Principal Secretary Khanya Mabuza, and other important officials from the Ministry of Health.
Matsebula, when making his remarks during the event, praised FLAS for having been able to give knowledge on HIV/AIDS to people of other countries, who were willing to learn about the strategies that had been used by Eswatini to respond to this dreadful disease. Matsebula said by so doing FLAS had been able to portray the country on a positive light to the international community.
The minister stated that the country could be experiencing problems here and there within the health sector, but that did not mean the country was not a leader on health issues in the region. He also mentioned that the health practitioners from the five countries were not the first ones who came to the country to benchmark on health matters. Matsebula said such events needed to be told and Emaswati needed to be proud of them.
Nisha Jagdish, who spoke on behalf of the health professionals who visited Eswatini, said they learned a lot during the workshop here in Eswatini. Jagdish said they were able to visit Eswatini, where they learned new ways they would use in improving the fight against HIV/AIDS in their respective countries.
