On March 20, 2024, the CONSCOV team delivered reproductive health services and care to sex workers in Gulu City.
Over 150 women turned up at a medical camp for counselling, cancer screening, and testing for, as well as treatment of, sexually transmitted infections (STI).
The medical camp, held near Kaunda Grounds, was organised by Gulu University, Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU) and Gulu Regional Referral Hospital in partnership with the Commander of Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) Reserve Force Let. Gen. Charles Otema Awany.
Geoffrey Akena, the Team Leader for Otema’s community outreach activities, who is also the Counsellor for Badege-Layibi Division, said they were particularly interested in supporting sex workers to find more decent ways of earning a living.
Although prostitution is illegal in Uganda, many women earn a living through it.
“They are not on the streets because they want to be there. There are factors that forced them there. We need to understand those factors,” said Akena.
“When we met them they asked for three things: Support for personal health, which we are doing now, financial support and, organising them into an association or other forms of cooperative arrangements,” Akena added.
Akena said their target is to reduce the number of sex workers by supporting them to engage in other income-generating activities.
Alice A. (not her real name), who said she was the overall leader of sex workers in Gulu City, said they were hopeful that they would be supported to engage in other activities.
“When we met with them (Otema’s team) they promised to give us treatment first, which we are now getting. They also promised to give us money for business. I think they are going to help us,” Alice said.
Emily Uramba Kayeny, a nurse at GRRH, and also a member of the CONSCOV team, said they tested and treated more than 150 clients.
“Sixty six tested for syphilis and we found six positive cases. Eighty eight tested for HIV and we found four positive cases. For cancer we screened 56 and we found two cases for which we need to do confirmatory tests,” said Kayeny.
The team also tested the women for Hepatitis B and Typhoid.
Dr. Agatha Alidri, the CONSCOV Principal Investigator (PI), said that “access to health services is a right for everyone,” but vulnerable groups in Uganda were finding it very difficult to access such services.
“Some of the women are young single mothers without any clear sources of income. Collaborations like this one, between the CONSCOV consortium and the UPDF Reserve Force, help us to mobilise resources to be able to serve them,” said Dr. Alidri.
