By SENT TIMBI
CONTAINERS of condom will be transported to Mt Hagen city and other parts of the country in a few months time for free distribution to the population as a gift from the National Aids Council Secretariat and AusAID.
This was revealed to the Western Highlands Provincial AIDS Council and its major stakeholders by NACS manager procurement and logistics Frank Mitiel together with two other AusAID officials from Port Moresby at Highlander Hotel in Mt Hagen city on Monday.
Mr Mitiel said that they were travelling around the country to inform PAC and stake holders in advance to prepare themselves with proper locations to keep the containers safely for distribution in the region.
He said that the visit was the first from them before the containers arrive from overseas with the condoms for distribution to the people to be issued in the protection against HIV/AIDS pandemic in the country.
“We are here because we want you to work together and keep a good and proper tally of the condoms used by sex workers and others in the region and country as a whole,” Mr Mitiel said.
He urged PAC and the stake holders to plan early and develop a new permanent plan on how to distribute the imported condoms keeping a proper record.
Meanwhile, Maggie Numdi a stakeholder from Business Houses Against HIV/AIDS (BAHA) said at the meeting that there should be only one distributor in the province and region as a whole for the imported containers of condoms.
She said at the moment there were no proper records kept by the PAC and the major stakeholders in the province for the condoms used.
She said that major stakeholders have borrowed condoms from each other when they ran out for distribution to their clients, adding that stakeholders also order condoms directly from the NAC secretariat and other donor agencies.
She appealed to the AusAID dignitaries and Mr Mitiel to appoint a major stakeholder to deal with the imported condoms for effective distribution to other stake holders and people for proper data and record.