People with HIV hope for better year
People with HIV hope for better year
JAKARTA (JP): A group of people with Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Indonesia have expressed the hope that 1996 will see better access to medicines and less stigmatization by society.
"In 1995...there seemed to be a passive stance in the provision and registration of certain drugs," according to a letter, written by a person who has the virus, read yesterday during a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of Support, a monthly publication focusing on people with HIV/AIDS.
"In times of emergencies, our friends have had to go abroad to seek the necessary medicines. But not everyone can do this," according to the letter, which was read by Susan, a volunteer with Pelita Ilmu Foundation, publisher of the magazine.
Drugs are both scarce and very expensive, the letter said.
For instance, anti-retroviral drugs, which are needed to extend a period without AIDS symptoms, cost Rp 400,000 (US$175) and one needs to buy them every 20 days.
Sjamsuridjal Djauzi, a medical consultant at the foundation, said only a few of dozen drugs needed by people with HIV/AIDS to overcome additional infections such as tuberculosis, have been registered by the Ministry of Health.
The letter was written by a person with HIV on behalf of other HIV-positive people coordinated by the foundation.
Pelita Ilmu, in its second annual honors for individuals and institutions, rewarded a musician, Anto W. Soemartono for his work in supporting anti-AIDS campaigns.
For the category of institutions, it rewarded East Kalimantan provincial administration for its intensive information drive against HIV/AIDS despite only one HIV-positive case being found in the province.
The letter also expressed resentment at the way the Indonesian media have treated people with HIV/AIDS who had volunteered to come forward to present their case.
"If we choose to come forth, it is because we wish to participate in the important work related to HIV-positive people in Indonesia, not to be an attraction," it said.
It claims media exposure always labeled people with HIV/AIDS who come forward as a "making confessions" and their identities are partially hidden like criminals.
"(We) are exposed more as victims, as those who have deviated, or those who have repented," the letter said.
Susan added that an alternative for those who have agreed to be exposed in the media should be a more "humane" image, such as the portrayal of a person with loved ones.
They should be requested to talk on their future hopes and plans, rather than revealing their past before they were infected, Susan said.
Sjamsuridjal said that HIV-positive people may not realize the impact of exposure, "because of their spirited drive to take part in the campaign work (related to HIV/AIDS)."
The dilemma of exposure will no longer exist, he said, when HIV/AIDS is no longer linked to moral issues. (anr)