19 May 2014

Garrison and unit commanders have been called upon to spearhead HIV/AIDS activities among their troops.

Speaking at a two-day leadership workshop organised by the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) in Francistown on May 15, commander of the second infantry brigade, Brigadier Molefi Seikano said the role of defending Batswana’s interests across a broad spectrum of conflicts demanded an HIV free military.

He said combat readiness was a core element of the BDF and called on army leaders to guarantee their troops’ health and social welfare. “Clearly they cannot accomplish their mission if they are not combat ready. It is the responsibility of the army command to mainstream AIDS issues and direct their efforts towards HIV prevention and management,” he said.

He expressed hope that after the workshop, HIV prevention would become a command priority while issues of HIV prevention, interventions and treatment adherence will be discussed with troops.

The manager of Project Concern International (PCI), Mr Davis Mpofu, said preliminary results of the Botswana AIDS Impact Survey (BAIS) IV, showed that the prevalence rate had increased from 17.6 per cent in 2008 to 19.03 per cent last year in ages 18 months to 64 years.

BDF AIDS programmes manager, Lieutenant MacDonald Kgosi, said the objective of the workshop was to update garrison and unit commanders on the HIV/AIDS situation in the country.

He said they also wanted to orientate the BDF leadership on the revised BDF HIV/AIDS program of 2010. “We also wanted to solicit input with a view to revising the BDF HIV/AIDS policy of 1994 to make it relevant and effective in addressing challenges faced by the BDF community.

We understand that soldiers also socialize because they are not confined to the camps,” he said. Ends