By Ebeneza Mollel

In pursuit of the Government's objective of continuing to fight against corruption and reduce the spread of HIV and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs), The Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (PURA) has conducted a one-day seminar for its employees aimed at raising awareness in the relevant areas.

The seminar was held recently at the PURA conference hall in Dar es Salaam and was attended by officials and management staff of the institution. Presenters at the seminar were officials from the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) and the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS).

Speaking at the opening of the seminar, Acting Director General of PURA, Engineer Charles Sangweni said the training is very important as it will increase the awareness of the institution's staff in the areas of ethics, corruption and AIDS thus helping them work more ethically while taking care of their health and society as a whole.

Presenting the topic of ethics at the seminar, Senior Officer from the PCCB, Ms. Marcella Salu explained that there is a strong link between ethics and corruption which is why it is important to address these issues together emphasizing "working ethically, providing services impartially and understanding the law are fundamental issues to be considered in practice".

Mrs. Elly Makala from PCCB addressed corruption offenses as set out in the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Act No. 11 of 2007 and added that corruption is caused by a variety of factors including moral erosion, greed, selfishness, ignorance of rights and responsibilities, lifestyles, as well as shortage of staff and equipment.

For his part, Dr. Patric Kanyamwenge from TACAIDS talked about the concept of HIV and AIDS, the types of HIV, the ways HIV is transmitted, and the use of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs).

In addition, the facilitator described the state of infection in the country and the various efforts made by the Government in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Similarly, the facilitator explained that the Government's plan in the fight against HIV and AIDS is to reach three (000) by 2030 in terms of zero infections (0), zero stigma (0) and zero deaths (0).

In the case of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases, Dr. Hafidh Ameir from TACAIDS explained how exercise, eating a healthy diet, drinking water and stress management can protect a person against chronic non-communicable diseases.

In concluding the seminar, the Human Resources Officer from PURA, Ms. Sabrina Seif explained that PURA will continue to be at the forefront of achieving the Government's goals against AIDS, chronic Non-Communicable Diseases and corruption while urging PURA staff to adhere to the practices taught in the seminar.

Along with the seminar, PURA staff members who participated in the training had the opportunity to test their health where they were able to test for infectious diseases such as HIV and non-communicable diseases including diabetes and high blood pressure.