Free ARV drugs available at community health centers
Free ARV drugs available at community health centers
Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
People living with HIV/AIDS in Indonesia would probably never
have imagined they would be able to obtain antiretroviral (ARV)
drugs at a community health center, that is, not until the
government launched a pilot project in Kampung Bali area in
Central Jakarta recently.
"I'm lucky to have access to ARV. It's like a dream come true.
But I know there are many more who aren't as lucky as me and I
want them to enjoy the privilege that I have now," said Ridwan
(not his real name), who has been taking ARV drugs for three
years now.
The 24-year-old said ARV had helped to restore his appetite
and given him more energy than before. He was infected with HIV
through sharing needles with other injecting drug users.
"I lost my appetite and used to be tired all the time before I
took ARV. But now, I can eat and feel healthy. It works, you
see," he said.
ARVs were initially made available to people living with
HIV/AIDS at 25 selected hospitals across the country, including
Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM) in Central Jakarta,
Dharmais Cancer Hospital in West Jakarta, Hasan Sadikin Hospital
in Bandung, West Java and Dr. Soetomo Hospital in Surabaya, East
Java.
The first community health center to provide ARV was opened in
Kampung Bali, where non-governmental organization Pelita Ilmu
Foundation (YPI) is operating.
The government announced last month that it had disbursed Rp
10 billion (US$1.06 million) for free antiretroviral drugs for
4,000 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).
The government plans to increase its subsidy for ARV drugs to
Rp 24 billion next year for 10,000 people living with HIV/AIDS.
YPI cofounder Samsuridjal Djauzi said on Wednesday that ARV
had been made available at the Kampung Bali community health
center before.
"But today, we want to make it official, as the government has
done. We want people living with HIV/AIDS here to know that they
can now obtain the drugs at the local community health center,"
said Samsuridjal.
The foundation sets a criteria for people living with HIV/AIDS
who qualify for ARV treatment at the community health center.
"Aside from testing positive for HIV/AIDS. they must suffer
from a heavy cough, massive weight loss and a CD4-cell count of
less than 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood," he said.
CD4 cells -- a type of lymphocyte that coordinate the immune
system's response to certain microorganisms -- are measured in
cubic millimeters (mm) of blood. A normal count in a healthy
adult can vary but is usually between 500 and 1,500 cells per
cubic mm. A CD4-cell count equal or below 200 cells per cubic mm
is thought to reflect a risk of opportunistic infections.
Samsuridjal said that since the government had given the
medication for free, he expected the number of people receiving
the treatment to increase.
"Thus far, we've been providing ARV drugs for only 10 people
living with HIV/AIDS. We need more as more of them need the
drugs," he said.
He said his foundation had recorded 188 people living with
HIV/AIDS in Kampung Bali. Approximately 30 percent (or around 57)
of them need to take ARV drugs.
According to the Ministry of Health, currently, the are only
1,300 PLWHA who have access to ARV drugs, or only 2.7 percent of
the estimated 130,000 PLWHA.
"Now that the government has decided to give the ARV drugs for
free, I hope more people living with HIV/AIDS will have access to
the drugs," said Samsuridjal.
Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
People living with HIV/AIDS in Indonesia would probably never
have imagined they would be able to obtain antiretroviral (ARV)
drugs at a community health center, that is, not until the
government launched a pilot project in Kampung Bali area in
Central Jakarta recently.
"I'm lucky to have access to ARV. It's like a dream come true.
But I know there are many more who aren't as lucky as me and I
want them to enjoy the privilege that I have now," said Ridwan
(not his real name), who has been taking ARV drugs for three
years now.
The 24-year-old said ARV had helped to restore his appetite
and given him more energy than before. He was infected with HIV
through sharing needles with other injecting drug users.
"I lost my appetite and used to be tired all the time before I
took ARV. But now, I can eat and feel healthy. It works, you
see," he said.
ARVs were initially made available to people living with
HIV/AIDS at 25 selected hospitals across the country, including
Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM) in Central Jakarta,
Dharmais Cancer Hospital in West Jakarta, Hasan Sadikin Hospital
in Bandung, West Java and Dr. Soetomo Hospital in Surabaya, East
Java.
The first community health center to provide ARV was opened in
Kampung Bali, where non-governmental organization Pelita Ilmu
Foundation (YPI) is operating.
The government announced last month that it had disbursed Rp
10 billion (US$1.06 million) for free antiretroviral drugs for
4,000 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).
The government plans to increase its subsidy for ARV drugs to
Rp 24 billion next year for 10,000 people living with HIV/AIDS.
YPI cofounder Samsuridjal Djauzi said on Wednesday that ARV
had been made available at the Kampung Bali community health
center before.
"But today, we want to make it official, as the government has
done. We want people living with HIV/AIDS here to know that they
can now obtain the drugs at the local community health center,"
said Samsuridjal.
The foundation sets a criteria for people living with HIV/AIDS
who qualify for ARV treatment at the community health center.
"Aside from testing positive for HIV/AIDS. they must suffer
from a heavy cough, massive weight loss and a CD4-cell count of
less than 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood," he said.
CD4 cells -- a type of lymphocyte that coordinate the immune
system's response to certain microorganisms -- are measured in
cubic millimeters (mm) of blood. A normal count in a healthy
adult can vary but is usually between 500 and 1,500 cells per
cubic mm. A CD4-cell count equal or below 200 cells per cubic mm
is thought to reflect a risk of opportunistic infections.
Samsuridjal said that since the government had given the
medication for free, he expected the number of people receiving
the treatment to increase.
"Thus far, we've been providing ARV drugs for only 10 people
living with HIV/AIDS. We need more as more of them need the
drugs," he said.
He said his foundation had recorded 188 people living with
HIV/AIDS in Kampung Bali. Approximately 30 percent (or around 57)
of them need to take ARV drugs.
According to the Ministry of Health, currently, the are only
1,300 PLWHA who have access to ARV drugs, or only 2.7 percent of
the estimated 130,000 PLWHA.
"Now that the government has decided to give the ARV drugs for
free, I hope more people living with HIV/AIDS will have access to
the drugs," said Samsuridjal.