TANZANIA: Calls for HIV policy to include the elderly

Elderly Tanzanians should be included in national HIV/AIDS policies, given their vital contribution as caregivers of people infected with the disease, said participants in a recent two-day media workshop in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.

Musa Mgata, programme officer for Helpage International, a global network of nonprofit organisations assisting disadvantaged older people, which organised the workshop, said the national policy did not include a legal and social framework providing for the care and support of those affected by HIV/AIDS, particularly the elderly, who bore the burden of care and burying the dead, according to The Sunday Observer newspaper.

"When caring for people living with HIV/AIDS, older people face the risk of infection, mainly because they lack knowledge," said Charles Kayoka, technical officer of the Association of Journalist Against AIDS in Tanzania.

He added that elderly people had few resources to support the sick and orphans who required food, medicine, shelter and psychological support.

Theme (s): Care/Treatment - PlusNews,

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]