Zimbabwe govt 'refuses' to treat STIs in underaged girls

THE Ministry of Health and Child Care has been accused of refusing to treat Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) in children below the age of 18 saying they are underaged and should bring a parent in order get treatment.

The chairperson for the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Health Dr Ruth Labode was at pains expressing her dismay over the alleged failure by health institutions to assist young girls.

"These girls cannot be treated for STIs at clinics and hospitals, they are told to bring the mother or guardian so that they can be treated but how does a 15-year-old who is sexually active tell a parent that they have an STI and want to be accompanied to a health institution. Some things are taboo in our African culture. So allow them to access the STI treatment alone, if they have the courage to come and tell the service provider then that is even good. It shows they have good health seeking patterns," she said.

She went on: "It pains me that we have young girls that are sexually active but are being denied contraceptives when they come to clinics as they are said to be too young to access them. Yes, they say at 18 years one is an adult but the fact is that children below that age are having sex and the best we can do is to give them so that we do not have a rise in teenage pregnancies and other diseases."

Dr Labode said Zimbabwean laws were not yet aligned to many things.

"If the Constitution says 18 years is the legal age, we assume that it applies everywhere but that is not the case, nurses do not treat young people, if she gives an injection for an STI and the 15-year-old reacts then she is at fault. I experienced nurses who would call and consult first because they were not protected once a problem occurs," she said.

She said once the Public Health Act which was under review was functional there could be clauses that would enable a child under the age of 18 to access STI treatment easily while the medical practitioner also gets protected.

She said teenage pregnancies, sex work and abortions happened to young people who have no access to sexual health products.

Dr Gerald Gwinji the Permanent Secretary for Health raised concerns about why the young child was engaging in sexual activities and said it was not the ministry's position to deal with those issues.

"We treat them when they come but they are having sex while under-age which is not the responsibility of the ministry, that is an issue of morality," he said.

Dr Bernard Madzima the director of family health in the ministry said they were guided by policy in the treatment of people.

"We have an adolescence sexual and reproductive health policy that guides us as a ministry. It talks about age appropriate initiatives. When a girl or boy in the early adolescents' stage comes to seek sexual health products we give them information only, but for the late adolescents we give commodities," he said.

He, however, acknowledged that the issue of contraceptives was still a grey area that was in need of more clarification. On the issue of treatment on STIs for minors he said they have the right to treatment, and only when they needed an operation that was when a parent was called in.

An official at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) who declined to be named for professional reasons said they encourage minors to come for treatment with parents.

The doctor said they also consider the fact that the parent that they ask the minor to bring could be a barrier to treatment in that the child can be reluctant to expose themselves to the parent that they are sexually active and have contracted an STI.