Facing the AIDS scare<\/p>\n
According to official figures the number of HIV\/AIDS cases in
\nIndonesia as of July 1995 was 316. But to judge by the experience
\ngained in other countries the actual number is most likely to be
\nmany times that.<\/p>\n
Given this, and of course the fact that there is as yet no
\ncure for AIDS, it is no wonder that the disease seems to be
\ncausing a scare in this country. According to newspaper reports
\nthis week, the spread of the disease has given rise to dilemmas
\nfor several hospitals and health care workers which, in turn,
\nhave caused public confusion.<\/p>\n
One hospital in Jakarta was said to have denied treatment to
\nan HIV-infected patient. The hospital was also reported to have
\nreprimanded one of its doctors for treating patients with HIV and
\nAIDS. The hospital in question has denied the charges, leaving
\nthe public uncertain as to who is telling the truth.<\/p>\n
HIV infection and AIDS are new, not only for hospitals, but
\nfor this country as a whole. No less important is the impression
\nlast week's reports have left with people because, after one
\nmedical institution has rejected an AIDS patient, other
\ninstitutions, such as schools and businesses, might be more
\ninclined to do the same.<\/p>\n
Students and workers seem be afraid of infection from the
\nHIV\/AIDS carriers among them, although the health authorities
\nhave assured them that it is only through sexual intercourse or
\nblood contamination that one can be infected with the virus.<\/p>\n
While they may be ill-founded, people's fears become readily
\nunderstandable if we consider the fact that most hospitals in
\nIndonesia are not prepared to treat AIDS patients. A recent study
\nby the medical school of the University of Indonesia found that
\nmany Indonesian doctors, particularly those working in community
\nhealth centers, still lack knowledge about the disease.<\/p>\n
The government, meanwhile, believes that appointing special
\nhospitals to treat AIDS patients will not help the situation,
\nsaying that every hospital has to prepare itself to handle the
\ndisease. In the eyes of the authorities, then, no hospital should
\nreject AIDS patients.<\/p>\n
The policy makes sense, but enforcing it could prove
\ndifficult. What action will the government take against a
\nhospital which turns away an HIV\/AIDS patient? Where the hospital
\nhas done so out of a genuine fear that other patients or staff
\nwill become infected with the virus, what form of punishment will
\nbe appropriate?<\/p>\n
The AIDS patients themselves are in a very difficult position.
\nIn the first place they have no clear legal protection. In the
\nsecond place, they are -- understandably -- reluctant to have
\ntheir identities revealed to the public.<\/p>\n
It can take years before a person infected with HIV develops
\nAIDS or is diagnosed as carrying the disease, meaning there is a
\nhigh risk that he or she will pass it on to one or more other
\npeople.<\/p>\n
Until the public has been better informed about AIDS and the
\nfight against it has been taken up in earnest, the disease is
\nlikely to continue to scare people -- including doctors and other
\nmedical personnel entrusted with caring for the victims of the
\nillness.<\/p>",
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