AIDS stigma hurdles to treatment
By, The Statesman (India), December 1, 2006
NEW DELHI: The current efforts to fight AIDS, including international commitments to achieve universal access to it’s treatment by the year 2010, will all fail if the pervasive stigma faced by people living with HIV is not tackled more aggressively.
According to ‘Unveiling the truth’ a new report to be released globally on World AIDS Day (1 December), hospitals, clinics and other health care settings are among the places where people living with HIV still experience some of the worst HIV-related stigma. This report is a joint publication by Health and Development Networks and the global AIDS Care Watch Campaign.
“Stigma and discrimination are the two major hurdles that continue to hamper rehabilitation of people infected and affected by HIV in India” says India contributor to this report, Swapna Majumdar. She also stated that for women and girls the degree and impact of this stigma is much higher.
The stigma associated with HIV works as a barrier to avail the medical advances. Thus preventing people from accessing testing or treatment services. “A few days ago, it was getting impossible to get treatment for a HIV positive pregnant lady in the particular centres set for them. Doctors too fear infection. If health facilities are not made available then most of the HIV patients will be mortified to go for AIDS test” added Anjali Gopalan, an AIDS activist running a home for HIV positive people.
"The continuing presence of stigma represents a failure in HIV policy-making and programme design. All HIV policies, programmes and services should address the impact of HIV stigma, and improving the attitude of health workers is particularly important to restoring the element of hope about AIDS." says Nadine France, Director of Health & Development Networks, Unveiling the Truth.
To this adds Celina D’Costa, another AIDS activist, “most of the people in India are reluctant to access HIV testing services because of stigma and the fear of losing life associated with a positive diagnosis”.
“To reduce HIV-related stigma, we must very honestly look at the realities that health workers face and try to understand the epidemic from their personal perspective” said Aditya Bandopadhya, an AIDS activist.
http://www.thestatesman.net
NEW DELHI: The current efforts to fight AIDS, including international commitments to achieve universal access to it’s treatment by the year 2010, will all fail if the pervasive stigma faced by people living with HIV is not tackled more aggressively.
According to ‘Unveiling the truth’ a new report to be released globally on World AIDS Day (1 December), hospitals, clinics and other health care settings are among the places where people living with HIV still experience some of the worst HIV-related stigma. This report is a joint publication by Health and Development Networks and the global AIDS Care Watch Campaign.
“Stigma and discrimination are the two major hurdles that continue to hamper rehabilitation of people infected and affected by HIV in India” says India contributor to this report, Swapna Majumdar. She also stated that for women and girls the degree and impact of this stigma is much higher.
The stigma associated with HIV works as a barrier to avail the medical advances. Thus preventing people from accessing testing or treatment services. “A few days ago, it was getting impossible to get treatment for a HIV positive pregnant lady in the particular centres set for them. Doctors too fear infection. If health facilities are not made available then most of the HIV patients will be mortified to go for AIDS test” added Anjali Gopalan, an AIDS activist running a home for HIV positive people.
"The continuing presence of stigma represents a failure in HIV policy-making and programme design. All HIV policies, programmes and services should address the impact of HIV stigma, and improving the attitude of health workers is particularly important to restoring the element of hope about AIDS." says Nadine France, Director of Health & Development Networks, Unveiling the Truth.
To this adds Celina D’Costa, another AIDS activist, “most of the people in India are reluctant to access HIV testing services because of stigma and the fear of losing life associated with a positive diagnosis”.
“To reduce HIV-related stigma, we must very honestly look at the realities that health workers face and try to understand the epidemic from their personal perspective” said Aditya Bandopadhya, an AIDS activist.
http://www.thestatesman.net
posted by AIDS-Care-Watch at 1:26 pm
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