Jackson Mbogela 

    The Netherlands

Members of PIUMA and the population of Makete district at large will be receiving a new doctor in next coming month.

Information provided by PIUMA officers says that they are expecting to receive Dr. Zin Zin any time from third week of August this year.

Speaking from her office the general secretary for PIUMA Ms. Anna Mwinuka said their members have prepared themselves to receive a new doctor who will care for their health.

In Makete Dr. Zin Zin will work under close cooperation with the highlands hope initiative for the well being of patients in the highlands. The highlands hope initiative includes TANWAT cooperate hospital, Consolata Ikonda Mission hospital and PIUMA a self support group of people living with HIV/AIDS

PIUMA are on their way to set a health facility that will provide medical service for more than 30,000 people living around Bulongwa and Magoma wards.

“I need to have a doctor that I will have confidence in, a doctor that I will trust” said Markus one of the members of PIUMA when spoke over phone from Bulongwa. Members of PIUMA several times have expressed dissatisfactions on the medical service provided by the government and church health facilities in Makete district.

In year 2006 members of PIUMA when meeting minister for health and social wellfare Professor David Mwakyusa, complained the substandard services provided by incompetent providers in the district and they were promised improvement the promise which has hardly been fulfilled.

“The coming of Dr. Zin Zin will help to improve the service that has deteriorated so much in this area” said Ms. Mwinuka. Patients under Care and Treatment Centre have been going without important laboratory diagnostic tests for years in this heavily HIV affected district.

In his e-mail the member of the PIUMA trustees board Dr. Rainer Brandl said he hopes for cooperation and solidarity to be provided to this new doctor more than demand for Money. “Personally, I wish Zin Zin all the best and I believe and trust that she has the skills to put the ongoing death of PIUMA members to an end” added Dr. Brandl in his mail.