Doctors rapped for poor treatment of AIDS carriers

Doctors rapped for poor treatment of AIDS carriers

JAKARTA (JP): Many medical doctors here appear to be
unsympathetic in their treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS,
especially women who are about to give birth, says an expert and
a social worker.

Speaking at a one-day seminar on women and children and their
experiences with HIV/AIDS, obstetrician Siti Dhyanti
Wishnuwardhani from the University of Indonesia and Samsuridjal
Djauzi of Pelita Ilmu Foundation, an institution that focuses on
AIDS, revealed that the unfriendly treatment of people with
HIV/AIDS was mainly due to doctors' lack of knowledge on handling
those infected with HIV/AIDS.

According to Siti and Samsuridjal, such unprofessional
behavior displayed toward people with HIV/AIDS could worsen the
condition of those with the condition, who also need nonmedical
support from their physicians.

"Actually there are so many doctors whose knowledge of the
condition is similar to that of any lay person, who thinks that
people are easily infected through any kind of contact," Siti
told the seminar held by Pelita Ilmu Foundation.

Siti recalled a 1996 experience when she was treating a woman
with HIV/AIDS who faced difficulties in giving birth at the Cipto
Mangunkusumo General Hospital here.

She was amazed at receiving no support from her seniors.

"My superior was even reluctant to treat the woman and just
asked me to handle it. It was not because of his inability, it
was his (limited) knowledge of the condition," Siti told the
participants, which included doctors, medical students and a
woman with HIV/AIDS.

Siti is urging doctors to spend some of their spare time to
read up on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) to banish their fears.

"Doctors are safe as long as they use the required medical
apparatus while handling (operating on) a person with HIV/AIDS.
They, for example, should wear a hat, eyeglasses, mask, robe, two
pairs of gloves and fully covered shoes," she said.

Samsuridjal then suggested that doctors also receive education
to improve their understanding of the condition.

Sharing her feelings, the AIDS-infected participant told the
seminar that she still needed help and care from other people,
including doctors, despite her limited lifespan.

"I really hope that people of all walks of life will accept us
because the illness in my body cannot be easily transferred to
other people," the woman, who has been separated from her two
daughters, said.

Data from the Ministry of Health reveals that the number of
HIV/AIDS cases nationwide has grown to 764 from 702 last June,
Samsuridjal said.

He estimated that the number would increase further in line
with the skyrocketing prices of medical equipment and medicine.

Another Pelita Ilmu staffer cited as an example the price of
Azidotimidine capsules, which is a popular medicine to treat
HIV/AIDS here.

A bottle of 100 capsules has jumped in price to Rp 800,000
from Rp 500,000, he said. (ind)