Rural women struggle to get treatment in Zimbabwe

HIV-infected women living in rural areas are finding it increasingly difficult to access life-prolonging antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) and tend to be more marginalised than those living in urban areas, non-governmental organisations say.

"Rural women who need ARVs find themselves in a quandary because levels of income for a rural household tend to be low," said Tariro Kutadza, provincial coordinator of the Zimbabwe AIDS Network (ZAN) in the northern province of Mashonaland West.

According to research conducted by the Zimbabwe Women's Resource Centre Network, three-quarters of all women on ARV treatment are from urban areas, yet most of those who need it live in rural areas and are often forced to rely on herbal remedies.

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