Treating people with AIDS

Treating people with AIDS

I was troubled to read in your article Two die of AIDS related
illnesses in The Jakarta Post, Nov. 11, that "People with AIDS
face constant official surveillance and are not allowed to travel
outside their designated areas." This quote was attributed to the
chief of the Central Java health office.

On Dec. 1, 1994, Indonesia, with many other countries, signed
the Paris Declaration on human rights for people with AIDS. The
declaration "solemnly declares our (the signers') determination
to fight against discrimination," and "undertakes in our national
policies to ensure equal protection under the law for persons
living with HIV/AIDS with regard to access to health care,
employment, education, travel, housing and social welfare."

Indonesia was in fact well ahead of the Paris Declaration.
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar Anas released
The National Strategy for Addressing AIDS in Indonesia (Strategi
Nasional Penanggulangan AIDS di Indonesia) as a decree on June
16, 1994. This strategy clearly outlaws discrimination against
people with AIDS.

Specifically, in the preamble to the strategy, the following
is stated (my translation): "Negative political, economic, social
and cultural reactions in the form of deportation,
stigmatization, discrimination, isolation and violent acts toward
people with AIDS must be anticipated and snuffed out
immediately."

Under the document's basic principles for addressing HIV/AIDS,
the following statement is found:

"Every service provider is required to provide service to
people with AIDS without discrimination.

"The National Program for Addressing HIV/AIDS includes three
overriding concerns...(first two omitted). Guarantees treatment,
nursing and support services which are technically responsible,
humane, just and non-discriminative to people living with
AIDS..."

It does appear that the statement attributed to the Central
Java health office is inconsistent with this strategy. We are not
aware of any regulation which provides for restrictions on travel
by people with AIDS. We hope that the statement in your article
is a misunderstanding and that people with AIDS in Central Java
are in fact treated without discrimination as decreed by the
strategy.

CHRIS W. GREEN

National Coordinating Group

for Indonesian AIDS Mobilization

Jakarta