press releases
Dambwa, Maramba, Mukuni And Lusaka Gain New Counseling And Testing Facilities
LivingstoneOctober 20, 2006
LIVINGSTONE. The U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador Mark Dybul, on Friday October 20, officially handed over four new counseling and testing centers (CTs) to the Zambian Ministry of Health in Livingstone. The Ministry of Works and Supply, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have collaborated on the funding, technical support and construction of three new CTs in the Dambwa and Maramba and police health centers in Livingstone and at the Mukuni clinic in Chief Mukuni’s village, in Kazungula District. An additional CT facility located at the State Lodge clinic in Lusaka District was also completed and will soon be staffed by the Ministry of Health.
The participation of Ambassador Dybul at this important event emphasized the U.S. government’s partnership with the Government of Zambia to expand HIV testing, targeting under-served populations like uniformed personnel.
Livingstone District, with a population of 122,026 people, currently has 13 clinics that provide CT services and one stand-alone CT center. In 2005, a total of 6,502 people received counseling and testing in the district, representing 5% of the total population.
These new facilities not only increase the number of CT centers, they will also provide the Livingstone District Health Management Team with greater capacity to reach more people with CT, and to provide improved TB/HIV care and treatment services.
Zambia’s Ministry of Works and Supply provided the technical support and construction supervision, the U.S. Department of Defense funded the construction and CDC furnished and equipped the CT centers. The CT facilities will be staffed and used by the Zambian Ministry of Health.
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