The Chief Director: District Health Services, Mr BP Maboe in the North West Department of Health in the Dr. Kenneth Kaunda District has called on community members to get tested for HIV, emphasising that it is important to remind residents that the district has weekly outreach activities and campaigns in all three sub districts in an effort to reach more clients and ensure initiation and returning to treatment.
It is essential for community members to get tested, know their status, get and stay on treatment.
Mr Maboe said even though the district has not yet reached its target of clients to reach, it is critical to note the progress that has been made in reaching clients to initiate and re-initiate on treatment.
The national Department of Health is running a new HIV treatment campaign called “#CloseTheGap” to put 1.1 million HIV-positive individuals on life-saving treatment by the end of 2025.
It was launched in February 2025, the initiative involves targeted outreach, community engagement, and partnerships to find and support people who are living with HIV but not receiving antiretroviral therapy.
Departmental spokesperson Vincent Mooki indicated Maboe appreciates the efforts of departmental officials and district residents for heeding the
call to collaboratively work on closing the HIV treatment gap.
“The department is actively running a campaign with multiple outreach services across the district to find HIV positive clients to initiate and keep on treatment, and to return missing clients to treatment,” said Mooki.
The District has been allocated to find and return to treatment, 7795
clients.
“The efforts of our departmental officials and the residents’ care for their wellbeing is greatly commendable as we show great strides of progress in bringing back clients to care”, Maboe said.
In effort to improve the “Close the Treatment Gap” campaign in the district, the district runs weekly outreach activities and campaigns. The district engages in these activities to bring testing and screening services closer to the residents.
