The Hindu : Bias deprives AIDS patients of care

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 09, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

Bias deprives AIDS patients of care

By Sahana Charan

BANGALORE June 8. Care and support for people living with AIDS who are seriously ill is a matter of concern as such services might be affected due to a biased approach by certain sections of society.

According to people working with HIV/AIDS patients, prejudice against affected persons exists even among the medical fraternity.

Though there are a few doctors who are sensitive to the issue, many are hesitant to provide treatment to HIV/AIDS patients and refer them to other clinics.

Medical institutes, including government hospitals, reportedly refuse to spare a bed for an AIDS affected person. Dying HIV/AIDS patients are discharged, as hospitals do not want to add an HIV/AIDS death in their register.

``The situation is worse as a HIV/AIDS terminally ill patient has nowhere to go, where he can die in dignity. Palliative care is still in its infancy in this part of the world and hospitals ask relatives of a dying HIV patient to take him home,'' says Sanghamitra Iyengar, Director, Samraksha.

``Most of the HIV positive persons can live longer if they have money to buy medicine. If people are sensitised to these issues and provide monetary help to ailing HIV/AIDS patients, they will not have to see them dying,'' she added.

"Few organisations dare to venture into palliative care because that is the most challenging of all aspects of HIV/AIDS support.

"This can be one of the factors why care centres for dying patients are very few, as they encompass a lot of complications,'' Ashok Rau, Executive Director, Freedom Foundation, told The Hindu.

The need of the hour was intervention at all levels, he said.

"There is a tendency to focus on issues in isolation but HIV/AIDS interventional strategies have to be employed in all areas such as prevention, awareness, care and support. A holistic approach has to be taken to deal with this problem,'' Mr. Rau said.

``It is not an easy task to deal with and comprehend the widespread stigma attached to the disease. Even setting up a care and counselling centre can be difficult in the face of bias among public, including government officials.

"Our centre has been conducting sensitisation programmes for medical personnel, corporates and officials, among others, and trying to understand their fears. We have managed to send some of our HIV positive children to normal schools, by creating awareness among school authorities,'' he added.

Counselling the family can go a long way, feels Glory Alexander, Chairperson, Asha Foundation. Families are supportive if counselled properly.

People also needed to know what did not cause HIV/AIDS infection as much as they should know what caused the illness, she said.

"Integration of HIV/AIDS care into the public health system is necessary to remove the stigma attached to the disease,'' she added.

(Concluded)

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