Callers for Radio Emmanuel call on men in Eastern Equatoria State to always accompany their wives for HIV test during pregnancy so as to avoid blame in case one is found positive.
A caller who identified herself as Mama Susan from Hai Gwanya resident says, most men fear accompanying their wives for HIV test during pregnancy and cause chaos in the family.
She added that even the unmarried youths should also ensure they go for HIV test
“Men fear going to the hospital with their wives to the extend they will be call on phone but they insist and still they will not, only they send their brothers to go on their behalf of them in the hospital, it is wrong, now it happened that the woman is found positive, even the relatives of the man will be blaming the woman for bringing the disease in the family, if both will go it will be find, even if you are not married it is good for you to go for checkup, but people are fearing I don’t know why?”, Mama Susan questions”.
Mama Deborah from Islak says it is important for couples to go together for checkup because they will be counsel on how to take care of the baby and also how to live with HIV/AIDs in case found positive.
“It is wrong for men not to go with their wives to the hospital because it is important if both of them go together and they will be counsel whether they are positive or negative to avoid blame that will cause problem in their family, they will know how to plan for the unborn baby and they will get right information from the doctor, but it is not fair if only one person is going for test because it will cause problem in their family”, Deborah says.
Sonia from Islak says men who fear accompanying their wives for HIV test does not trust themselves
“I see men who don’t want to go the hospital with their wives, some of them are womanizers, they are messing with women outside, may be they got infection from outside that is why they fear to go outside with their wives to the hospital, because they may have the risk of being positive, they push their wives to go alone, some men are got positive they start taking medication without telling their wives, and if the wife ask them to go for test, they refuse because they know they are positive”, she alleged.
The callers were talking to radio Emmanuel in Torit on Friday.