Langton Ncube| Government on Wednesday, snubbed UN sponsored Albino community discussion forum where the disadvantaged group wanted to present their health related issues to the authorities.
The United Nations General Assembly declared June 13 International Albinism Awareness Day. This year UN Secretary General BAN KI-MOON said; “In some communities, erroneous beliefs and myths, heavily influenced by superstition, put the security and lives of persons with albinism at constant risk. These beliefs and myths are centuries old and are present in cultural attitudes and practices around the world.”
Sadly in Zimbabwe neither Health and Child Welfare Minister, David Parirenyatwa, nor his representative who were supposed to attend the Indaba which was organised by the UN, as part of the Albinism Day commemorations, turned up.
Among the issues, the albino community wanted to discuss with government include access to medical lotions which they use to protect their skin from cancer.
It also emerged at the meeting that the total number of albinos government says are in the country is lower than the actual population of the albino community.
Government records indicate a total population of 39 000 albinos, but according to the Zimbabwe Albinos Association project coordinator, Nesbert Mudzviti, there are many more.
“Taking into consideration that or assuming there is one person living with albinism per family, which is quite an understatement,   or this number the 39 000 is very low considering that in places or families where albinism is there is more than one person,”said Dr Mudzviti
He said they also wanted the authorities to understand other diseases which his members are vulnerable to.
“We have other conditions or other diseases which affect us, some of them include mental illness. So when a person with albinism is presented to the health system they just look at whether he has cancer which is caused mainly by direct sun light, forgetting that there are other diseases which they are also exposed to,” he explained.
People living with albinism face stigma and discrimination from communities. Most of them are sexually abused and others killed owing to cultural myths which are associated with their condition.