Africa-Press – Botswana. The initiative Operation Triple Zero (OTZ) purposed to achieve the remaining 5-2-2- of the UNAIDS targets has been launched.
Officially launching Botswana OTZ, a customised adolescent-focused service delivery model, in Gaborone recently, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health Prof. Oatlhokwa Nkomazana said the initiative was youth focused because young people had not yet attained the target as they were still at 85-83-76 according to statistics.
She said young people who constituted two thirds of the country’s population had potential to be the key drivers for the country’s economy, adding that without addressing treatment gap among adolescents and young people, such posed the risk of reversing the gains Botswana made thus far. She said the OTZ programme would bridge the gap in treatment adherence, accessibility to treatment and viral load suppression, adding that it had the ability to increase adherence to treatment and viral and load suppression by up to 10 per cent.
She said viraly-suppressed meant that the target group health status improves, making the young generation productive in the process.
She said the ministry would continue strengthening partnerships to revitalise primary health care.
For her part, the manager for education communications and advocacy division at NAHPA, Ms Elizabeth Koko said the OTZ promoted the best interest of children and adolescent welfare. She said adolescents and young people were a priority of the Ministry of Health.
She said the programme would improve health outcomes of young people, adding that they would be reached out to with a mix of communication strategies as well as offered psychological support.
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