50% male STI patients are HIV-positive in Blantyre

BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR

Secretary for Health Yussuf Hassan has disclosed that over 50 percent of male sexually transmitted infections (STIs) patients receiving treatment at Blantyre’s Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) are HIV positive.

Hassan made the revelation in Lilongwe during the week when he opened a six-day private sector STI training workshop, which was organized by Malawi Business Coalition against Aids (MBCA).

The women are not spared the scourge either as the PS revealed that a high prevalence of STIs is found in most population groups even among those considered to be at low risk for STIs such as women.

“While antenatal women are considered to be at the low-risk end of the spectrum, STI patients are at high risk for HIV infection,” Hassan said.  

“There are two reasons for this high rate of HIV in STI patients. First, HIV is also sexually transmitted disease and is, therefore, transmitted the same was as STIs. Those with multiple partners and don’t use condoms correctly and constitently are likely to contract HIV, another STI or both...,” he add.

The PS further said STI patients are more likely to be infected with HIV because “STIs are independent risk factors for HIV transmission”.

“The risk of sexual transmission of HIV is increased by five to 10 times in the presence of an STI. While this increased risk is highest in the presence of ulcerative disease such as syphilis, chancroid, herpes, non-ulcerative diseases such as gonorrhoea, Chlamydia and trichomonas infections are also known to increase the risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV during sexual contact,” he explained.

Despite the horrifying revelation, Hassan commended MBCA for playing a critical role in the fight against sexually transmitted infections (STI), HIV and Aids in the country.

He noted that MBCA has done a lot in mobilizing resources for treatment and care of patients suffering from STI, HIV and Aids, saying government alone “cannot meet all the demands, and we appreciate the extra effort you take in mobilizing the resources to improve service provision.”

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Indiscipline killing local entrepreneurship

BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR

Local entrepreneurs have been advised to change their attitude and managerial styles if they are to survive the stiff competition from foreign investors on the market.

In an interview with Business Times on the sidelines of a farewell party Business Computer Services (BCS) organized for its retiring receiptionist in Blantyre, managing director James Chimwaza noted that lack of discipline among local businesspersons is contributing significantly to the fall of local companies.

Chimwaza observed that most of the local entrepreneurs running families companies have the tendency to treat outside workers as passengers whose services are less valuable to the firm.

“This is the biggest challenge. For example, I’m the director for BCS, which is a limited company and it would be very wrong for me to handle cheque books when accountants are there to do the job. However, this is the case in many local companies and that’s indiscipline am talking about,” he said.

“This discourages non-family workers from showing their full potential. This has led to the death of many local firms. But we all need to be there to harness all the resources for optimum effectiveness. This is the only vehicle to the growth of local firms,” Chimwaza added.

He also cited poor management, lack of planning, and under-capitalisation as some of the challenges currently rocking local entrepreneurs.

On the farewell get-together, Chimwaza said his firm had organized the party to celebrate the retirement of one of their longest-serving employees, Jean Muphuwa, who had worked with BCS for since its inception in 1986.

The company has given her a full computer set and printer as a retirement package among other items.

Muphuwa expressed gratitude for the gift and said she will open a communication at a place yet to be identified where she will be offering secretarial services as a survival mechanism for her.


“I’m retiring a happy person. I wanted to create space for new blood to find employment,” said Muphuwa who is advanced age. She had also worked for Portland Cement for 18 years before joining the computer firm.

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