The demand for anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) in Beit Bridge continues to rise, with statistics indicating a record surge in the number of HIV and AIDS patients visiting the local on-site opportunistic infections clinic at Beit Bridge District Hospital.

The local chief medical officer at the Beit Bridge District Hospital, Dr Nyasha Masuka, said the number of people on ARVs doubled up from 2000 last year to more than 4000 over the last few months, a development that has been largely attributed to the ever-increasing number of a population in transit.

“We continue to get more and more people visiting our hospital every month to access ARVs and you will note that, on average, we are getting between 200 and 300 patients. This is a sharp rise compared to last year,” he said.

Dr Masuka said, however, that despite the high demand, the hospital continued to receive adequate supplies of the essential life-prolonging drugs, thanks to government, NGOs and the World Health Organisation.

“We continue to get enough ARVs, among other vital drugs, from government and other partners, so that is really going a long way in assisting our patients. What is pleasing to note is that more and more local people are now willing to reveal their HIV and AIDS status and subsequently undergo the ARV course, unlike in the past,” Masuka said.

Due to its geographical location as an in-transit point, Beit Bridge is rated among one of the worst-hit areas in the neighboring country, with the burgeoning number of cases of HIV and AIDS cases and other related diseases.

In a bid to reduce HIV- and AIDS-related diseases, a number of non-governmental organizations such as Corridors of Hope and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have since been established in the border town, where people are educated on the dangers of engaging in casual sex.

Beit Bridge District Hospital was jointly recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to be included on the massive antiretroviral programme to administer the essential life-prolonging drugs.

This subsequently resulted in the setting up of the on-site Opportunistic Infections Clinic, which caters for HIV and AIDS patients,

Beit Bridge is the busiest inland port of entry in sub-Saharan Africa, which continues to lure commercial sex workers from several parts of the country, who apparently target truck drivers passing through the border post daily. This development has also resulting in the proliferation of brothels in Dulibadzimu, the main residential area.