TASO GULU CENTRE OVERWHELMED WITH HIGH NUMBER OF HIV/AIDS CLIENTS

TASO`s clients attending general meeting at TASO Gulu head office. Photo by Stephen Odong
 
BY Stephen Odong

Gulu City
 
The Management of The AIDS support Organization (TASO) Gulu centre is decrying high number of active HIV/AIDS clients which now stands at 8974 active clients out of which 6104 are females and 2870 are males overwhelming the few staff which they say it is affecting service delivery.

The former chairperson clients` council, Mr. John Isaac Oceng said the shortage of staff is affecting the provision of healthcare service to their clients because having 8974 clients this time makes staff overwhelmed by the unmatched number of staff to clients.

“This is affecting timely visits to the bed ridden clients for the provision of quality home care services so this is one of the challenges TASO Gulu centre is faced with,” he added.

He also requested TASO management to consider TASO clients more especially adolescent boys and girls, young women and men to be supported with some vocational skills to empower them economically.

Walter Okema, the centre program manager TASO Gulu however explains that much as they are having few staff, they are trying their best as staff, volunteers and other partners to make sure quality healthcare services are provided amidst budget cut due to reduction in funding from the donors.

“The reduction in donor funding is affecting our operations here at the centre to the extent that we had to reduce the number of staff yet the number of our HIV/AIDS clients keeps increasing every day,” he remarked.

The chairperson centre advisory committee Mr. Wilfred Jwee Obali, reechoed the same concern saying that their active client figure on treatment has remained high in spite of the reduction in the number of staff.