RI slowly wakes up to AIDS reality<\/p>\n
By Prapti Widinugraheni<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia finally woke up to the perils of
\nAcquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in 1994 after initial
\nconfusion about the nature of the threat.<\/p>\n
After a long delay, in June the government set up a commission
\nto coordinate efforts to stem the spread of AIDS and to expand
\nthe anti-AIDS campaign beyond simply the people belonging to what
\nhad officially been termed as \"high risk\" groups such as
\nprostitutes and homosexuals.<\/p>\n
Despite the massive publicity about AIDS and its perils and
\nhow other countries deal with the problem, Indonesia's reactions
\nhave been irrational, to put it mildly.<\/p>\n
Before the establishment of the commission, government
\nagencies were not united on the issue either.<\/p>\n
\"Magic\" Johnson<\/p>\n
The controversy over the planned visit by American basketball
\nstar Earvin \"Magic\" Johnson at the start of 1994 illustrates just
\nhow little Indonesians knew about the nature of AIDS.<\/p>\n
Magic Johnson, selected five times as the most valuable player
\nin the National Basketball Association, retired from professional
\nbasketball in 1991 after testing positive for Human
\nImmunodeficiency Virus (HIV) which causes AIDS.<\/p>\n
His planned visit in January, intended as part of Indonesia's
\nanti-AIDS campaign, was canceled ironically because of objections
\nthat his presence in Indonesia was seen as a threat to the
\npublic. While the Ministry of Health gave its blessing to the
\nvisit, the Directorate General of Immigration refused to give
\nMagic Johnson a visa.<\/p>\n
This confusion prevailed despite widespread information
\nassuring that AIDS can only be spread through sexual contact, use
\nof a contaminated hypodermic needle, transfusions of contaminated
\nblood, or -- in the case of an unborn child -- from an infected
\nmother.<\/p>\n
The government, judging by its policies at the beginning of
\nthe year, appeared to be uninformed or was ill advised about the
\nAIDS threat.<\/p>\n
The ministry of health in February for example disclosed a
\nplan requiring prospective expatriate workers to have medical
\nproof that they were not HIV positive. Foreign tourists would be
\nexempted because their stay in Indonesia was not considered long
\nenough to have sex with Indonesians.<\/p>\n
The plan was shelved after it fueled another public uproar and
\nMinister of Health Sujudi later announced that the government
\nwould study how other countries cope with the AIDS problem.<\/p>\n
Other government agencies sought to stem the spread of AIDS by
\nextolling religious and moral values -- clearly yet again
\ntargeted at prostitutes, their patrons, homosexuals and those who
\nconstantly change partners.<\/p>\n
Critics said this approach would not only fail, but would also
\nconfuse the public even more because it is not putting the
\nproblem in its proper prospective.<\/p>\n
\"Changing behavior is useless, religion has been trying to
\nchange it for over 2000 years but there are still thieves and
\nkillers,\" Kartono Mohamad, former chairman of the Indonesian
\nDoctors' Association, said.<\/p>\n
It was a relief when President Soeharto issued a decree to
\nestablish a commission to coordinate the efforts to counter the
\nspread of AIDS. It might have been a bit late, but it's an
\ninitial start in the right direction. Coordinating Minister for
\nPeople's Welfare Azwar Anas was appointed to lead the commission
\nwhose members include the Ministers of Health, of Social
\nServices, of Population and of Religious Affairs.<\/p>\n
The government also appointed the Koja general hospital in
\nNorth Jakarta as the national center for AIDS treatment.<\/p>\n
A month later, in August, Indonesia held its first national
\nworkshop on AIDS which aimed at producing a concrete, applicable
\nfive-year plan of action for all related institutions.<\/p>\n
The government did not stop at planning and campaigning. It
\nalso sought new, cheaper, made-in-Indonesia HIV-testing methods
\nwhich met international standards.<\/p>\n
Cheaper<\/p>\n
The \"entebe dip-stick\", developed by Hepatika laboratory in
\nMataram, West Nusa Tenggara was announced in June but had yet to
\ngain WHO approval. If it is approved, the method will be cheaper
\nthan the western blot method which is recognized by WHO and used
\nin many countries, including Indonesia.<\/p>\n
True, Indonesia's official statistics on AIDS are not as bad
\nas many other countries. By November, only 266 people tested
\npositive for HIV. But government officials acknowledged that the
\nactual figure would be much higher, with estimates ranging from
\n50,000 to 100,000.<\/p>\n
The health ministry has allocated some Rp 5 billion for this
\nyear's anti-AIDS campaign, and over the last five years WHO has
\nextended some $3 million to help the anti-AIDS campaign in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
What do people who are actively involved with AIDS victims
\nhave to say about all this?<\/p>\n
\"AIDS in Indonesia is now at the same stage it was in Thailand
\nfive years ago. This is very scary,\" Nona Poeroe Utomo, the
\ndirector of the Indonesian AIDS Foundation, said last November.<\/p>\n
Despite the government's year-round efforts, she considered
\nthe key to the anti-AIDS campaign -- information and education --
\n\"inadequate\".<\/p>\n
She also condemned the attitude of self-denial among
\nIndonesians, including public leaders, who dismissed lightly the
\ndangers and implications of AIDS by stressing that traditional
\nand religious values and the state ideology Pancasila could
\nshield the nation from the catastrophe.<\/p>\n
The last, but not least, aspect which can be noted about the
\nproblem of AIDS in Indonesia is the apparent lack of counseling
\nfor AIDS victims and their families.<\/p>\n
This is mostly due to the fact that many psychologists, who
\nwould actually serve as better counselors compared to doctors who
\nare currently doing the job, prefer to work in better-paying jobs
\nthat companies offer them as personnel managers and industrial
\npsychology experts.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-slowly-wakes-up-to-aids-reality-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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