World HIV/AIDS Day: Voices of people with HIV/AIDS remained unheard (Nepalnews Special)
By Pratibedan Baidya
As the world marks the World HIV/AIDS Day today, Nepal is also celebrating the day with the theme ‘Accountability’ but the pains of the HIV infected people remained unheard.
According to statistics, more than 75,000 people were living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2005 in Nepal with 5,100 deaths till the date. However government statistics show only 8,073 HIV positive people till October 31, 2006 and only 358 deaths due to the disease. According to the National Centre for AIDS and STD control, only 1,186 people were infected from AIDS till October 31, 2006.
The first AIDS case in Nepal was reported in 1988. Until the late 1990s, Nepal was classified as having a low-level epidemic. However, since 1997, HIV infection has been increasing alarmingly among intravenous drug users and female sex workers.
High rate of male migration, prostitution, poverty, low socio-economic status of women, and illicit drug trafficking are the major factors for rapid increase in HIV/AIDS. But, most of the victims tend to conceal the infection for fear of social stigma in the society.
The government, on its part, is providing Anti-retroviral medicine to increase immunity power to fight against HIV/AIDS to 474 people from eight different points.
But due to lack of publicity about the medicine, many people were not aware about it. The government first started distribution of the medicine and other non-governmental organizations have also started providing medicine to HIV infected people.
Talking to Nepalnews, National Coordinator of National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nepal (NAP+N) Sudin Sherchan, said that the government was not able to address the problems of people infected with HIV.
“Though the government is working in this sector, it failed to play leadership role and as a result, the efforts of fighting against the disease have not been very effective,” he added.
He further said that NAP+N have formed its network in 33 districts with high prevalence of HIV/AIDS to empower people living with HIV/AIDS and to use them to raise awareness about the deadly disease.
Talking about the problems being faced by HIV infected people, Sherchan said HIV infected people has individual problems as well as facing problems from the community and the country.
He said that in an individual level, they did not have access to treatment and in the community level, they are being discriminated and treated as bad people.
Though the awareness level among people is increasing about HIV/AIDS, HIV infected people are still treated differently, he added.
He also said that the nation is also discriminating against HIV infected people and the government is yet to form policies that guarantee the rights of HIV infected people.
He said that organizations working in the field have submitted a draft bill to the government, which guaranteed the rights of the HIV infected people, but the government is yet to enact the bill.
He urged the government to pass the bill to include HIV infected people in the process of making a new Nepal.
He also said that in absence of proper policies, people with HIV infection are living in a poor condition due to the fear of being neglected from the society.
Director of the National Centre for AIDS and STD Control (NCASC) under the Ministry of Health, Dr. Rajendra Pant told Nepalnews that the prevalence rate is high in the urban areas and added that the NCASC has formed district AIDS Co-Ordination Committees in 56 districts.
“Different private partners are working with us and NGOs and INGOs too are involved in the fight against the epidemic, which means a strong force has been built, but still a stronger one is required,” he added.
He however refuted the allegations that the government failed to play leadership role in fight against HIV/AIDS, adding the ministry had done a lot in the last ten years, but conceded there are still many things to do.
He further said that since the disease cannot be controlled overnight, a drastic change is not possible within a short period of time, but the government is honestly doing its best to fight against the deadly disease.
He also expressed the hope that the strategy to fight against the disease prepared by the government for 2006-2011 will be instrumental to minimize the risk of the disease.
He said that they are working with the community and with non-governmental and international organizations to fight against the disease and to raise awareness in remote parts of the country as well.
When contacted by Nepalnews, Ganesh Lama of Thankot, one among the 75,000 + HIV infected people, said that they were compelled to spend a humiliating life in the society due to the disease.
He said he fears to disclose about the disease due to the fear that his neighbours might misbehave with him and his family members.
Expressing bitterness that he was treated differently at Teaching hospital mainly because he was HIV positive, he urged the people to treat HIV patients equally and allow them to enjoy their rights.
Meanwhile, talking to Nepalnews, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Population Amik Sherchan said that the government is doing what it can to control the ever-growing threat of HIV/AIDS in the country despite lack of resources.
“The government is working to expand the Anti-Retroviral treatment to many people and also expanding awareness raising programmes in local levels as well,” he added.
He also said the government is working to make the National Aids and Sexual disease control center as a technical body to work in the field of HIV/AIDS and also has accorded top priority to the action against HIV/AIDS.
He however acknowledged that the problem was complicated as the services were out of the reach of poor people despite efforts from national and international level and added that the government is ready to extend all necessary help for controlling the disease.
Though there have been efforts from various sectors to control the infection of HIV/AIDS, the best solution would be a combined effort to give some concrete results in this regard. nepalnews.com Dec 01 06
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