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