Respecting PLHIV rights
“MY health, my right.” For 2017, the UNAIDS has adopted this slogan in the global campaign to “end Aids as a public health threat by 2030,” one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
The right to health is not just simply accessing health services, the UNAIDS points out in www.unaids.org. Complications arise that obstruct the public, particularly those who are most vulnerable to risk, from availing themselves of health solutions that are appropriate and free from discrimination.
Three days before the country joined the global observation of World Aids Day on Dec. 1, a person living with the human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) was identified by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and News5 as one of 11 suspects arrested during a buy-bust operation conducted at a hotel in Taguig City.
After the disclosure was heavily criticized by netizens, the PDEA apologized for its lapse. News5 edited the caption for the mugshot of the suspects and then later took down the entire post on the social network Facebook.
The incident, though, underscores the need for intensified education on the rights of PLHIV.
Last Dec. 1, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III reminded the public that the law protecting the privacy of individuals and the Republic Act 8504 (Philippine Aids Prevention and Control Act of 1998) make it illegal to publicize the status of a PLHIV.
Stigma and discrimination set back efforts to end Aids as a public health threat as these prevent people from seeking assistance for prevention and treatment.
The UNAIDS points out that social misconceptions about HIV and AIDS further marginalize those who are already marginalized in other ways. Sex workers, persons who inject drugs, men who have sex with men (MSM), prisoners, and migrants are also the most vulnerable to HIV and Aids.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), the country faces the “fastest growing” epidemic of HIV in Asia Pacific.
DOH monitoring from January to August 2017 shows that 84 percent of newly reported cases of HIV involve MSMs and transgender women who have sex with men.
In the conduct of the drug war, the human rights of PLHIV emerges as another cause for concern, along with the rights of drug suspects.
Protecting the PLHIV from public shaming is important for helping the individuals and their families cope with the challenges of HIV and Aids.
More lives can be saved if all stakeholders, especially the media, contribute to creating an open, non-judgmental culture that encourages people to voluntarily seek HIV testing and counselling.
HIV-positive Filipinos can avail themselves of the anti-retroviral therapy that is given for free by the DOH. The treatment, costing about P15,000 yearly, is available at 51 DOH-designated treatment facilities nationwide.
Critics have pointed out that RA 8504 must be amended to respond to changes in the epidemic that emerged during the 19-year interval since 1998, when the law was passed.
For instance, the law requires minors to acquire parental consent as a prerequisite for HIV testing.
This sets back efforts to encourage early testing for diagnosis and treatment. The DOH records that, from January to August 2017, MSM and transgender women, aged 15 to 25 years, had two out of three new infections.
The HIV/ Aids education campaigns need to target and appeal to specific groups, not just the PLHIV. For instance, local governments must be educated to allocate more funds for HIV/ Aids programs, such as testing and treatment activities for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
Only through an effective communication and education campaign can the country remove the stigma and promote the rights of PLHIV to have access to health solutions that are appropriate and free from discrimination.
— Sunnex