Govt slammed over ‘failure’ on HIV/AIDS

Erwida Maulia ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 12/01/2008 7:11 AM  |  Headlines

The government has been urged to change its “ineffective” approach to HIV/AIDS, as the number of people infected by the disease continues to grow each year.

Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Physicians Concerned about HIV/AIDS, Samsuridjal Djauzi, said here Sunday the government’s current campaigns, which tend to encourage behavioral change, had proved ineffective in curbing the spread of the disease.

The association projects the number of people in Indonesia living with HIV/AIDS to more than double from 120,000 in 2002 to 270,000 this year.

These figures are much higher than those reported by the Health Ministry, which put the number of cases at 18,000 as of September, with the death rate at 20 percent.

Samsuridjal said most people infected with the virus were not aware of their condition.

“The National AIDS Commission has so far focused only on campaigns for behavioral changes, like promoting condom use or safe sex and avoiding needle sharing among drug users,” Samsuridjal told The Jakarta Post.

“In fact, despite the target of having 50 percent of high-risk people use condoms during sexual intercourse, only 20 percent do so. That’s also more or less the case with drug users.”

He urged the government to start developing “biomedical intervention” as a preventive measure. Actions include promoting male circumcision, which he said could reduce the risk of infection by up to 60 percent, and the use of anti-retroviral drugs.

Another problem is the lack of coordination among state institutions, including the AIDS commission and the Health Ministry, which resulted in “overlapping” and “inefficient” campaigns, he said.

Institutions needed to change the attitude of the National Narcotics Agency, which still perceives drug users as mere criminals, thus obstructing activists’ attempts to promote the use of sterile needles, he added.

Head of the Indonesian Doctors Association’s contagious diseases division, Pandu Riono, said the government should use a combination of all the recommended means of intervention to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS.

He said laboratory tests should be made more accessible for all, healthcare providers should be given better understanding to deal with the disease and infected people should be treated immediately to prevent them from infecting others.

Pandu also said the government should stop subsidizing treatment for wealthy patients and make it free for the poor only, as its policy of free medical treatment for all people living with HIV/AIDS had led to about 200 hospitals nationwide suffering a shortage in anti-retroviral drugs.

But the ultimate problem was not about money but the government’s perception of funds for HIV/AIDS treatment as a “burden” rather than an “investment”, Samsuridjal said.

He said 70 percent of Indonesia’s funds to tackle with HIV/AIDS came from foreign donors.

World AIDS Day falls on Dec. 1. HIV has reportedly infected about 33 million people globally, two million of whom are children under 15. There were an estimated two million HIV-related deaths in 2007.

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Rocket (not verified) — Sun, 12/07/2008 - 10:57pm

Cuba eliminated AIDS. And not by moralistic or religious crap about people being "sinful." Sex is a part of being alive, and people are going to do it no matter what the government or a thousands-year-old "holy book" says. What's needed is a government that represents the toiling majority instead of big business and an economy geared to meet human need (which would necessarily include free healthcare for all). Such a thing can only come about through revolutionary change. Cuba has done it, so should we.

King Crippler of Temasek (not verified) — Thu, 12/04/2008 - 12:08pm

It is about time that the government do something about this bedeviling problem. Actually controlling AIDS/HIV is not so difficult. The problem lies with morality. Wild sex, unprotected sex, out-of-wedlock sex, unnatural sex and same gender sex are obviously sinful. Why would the government encourage its people to practice those sinful acts in a safer way? It does not make sense. What the government should do is to discourage such deviant acts. Promote people to have enjoyable sex with their lawful spouses and those not married should be praised for abstinence. In religious aspect, you can not permit what is sinful. So, i believe this is the retribution the government received for promoting safer sex. The government should nip the problem in the bud. Educate the people, especially the youngsters, about HIV/AIDS through public education and public outreach programs. Correct, God would not have created a disease if there is not any cure. The cure for AIDS/HIV is actually avoiding adultery.

BenZ (not verified) — Tue, 12/02/2008 - 7:35pm

To me it is rather ironic if the whole country must bear this burden caused by a small number of irresponsible individuals. The government, the wider public have always been told to pay better attention to people with HIV/AIDS, to stop treating them discriminatingly and so on; while most of these people themselves have been so selfish, continually and recklessly engaged with high-risk activities and subsequently transmit the disease to their innocent partners and then children.

I'm not trying to discriminate nor preserve prejudices against people with HIV/AIDS, especially because not all of them earned the disease from high-risk activities like sharing needles when using drug, male-with-male sex or frequent visits to prostitutions.
What I'm trying to say is, everybody please be a little more responsible! Your irresponsible behavior may not only affect you, but also your innocent, probably-beloved closest people.

Andreas - Manado (not verified) — Tue, 12/02/2008 - 5:21am

The problem is, that the government and most of the people (I mean the masses, not those who care) still see HIV/Aids as the sickness of the gays and drug addicted - welcome to the 80's!!!
The best example is the first comment. Thank you.
Only if the awareness comes, that it can happen to everyone who have unprotected sex or a blood transfusion, will make it "fashionable" for politicians or celebrities to fight for those who are affected.
Actions like the microchip in Papua will only worsen the problem and will lead to a dying generation in Indonesia.
Btw, the number 270,000 infected is a joke. The accessibility of tests is too low, the fear of those who are infected is too big and the awareness is too little.

Ed K. (not verified) — Tue, 12/02/2008 - 3:51am

Aids is a terrible disease plaguing the planet. People living with HIV regardless of their race, social class or religious beliefs should be treated equally and deserve the best retroviral medication. Pharmaceutical companies profiteers are not doing enough to provide an affordable and free medication assistance world wide. The government's attitude in Indonesia should change to alleviate the number of cases each year. Public information through TV ads, bus ads and local publishing materials regarding safe sex practices and the promotion of human compassion and dignity for people with HIV. No one is immune to HIV by adopting unsafe sex, self denial attitude and sharing needles through drug related practices. Everyone should be responsible for its own actions and protect others from unsafe practices.
Some local religious groups and worldwide have shouted that people who are fallen to HIV are condemned by god for their devious actions. Religious groups who may think that they can judge people by ignoring, and creating segregation among the living and non living with HIV are just cowards, ignorant and just pure evil.

John wilfred (not verified) — Mon, 12/01/2008 - 4:14pm

i have lived with the HIV virus in me since 1987.
i do not need to be isolated .
the ones suggesting it need it for them selves
i have safe sex and it is safe .
condoms and water based gel as lubricant.
i tell all my partners i am HIV+ and never pay for sex .
HIV needs positive prevention and education .
Medicines for the less well off free , and no stigmatization.
any attempt to hide the epidemic or drive it underground thought repression will end up in disaster and explosion of HIV/AIDS cases .
the media tell all no free sex no drugs in such a stupid way that they are not addressing their messages to humans.
Humans live for sex till you realize that you can start wining the battle.

DenHaag (not verified) — Mon, 12/01/2008 - 2:47pm

Quote: "He urged the government to start developing “biomedical intervention” as a preventive measure. Actions include promoting male circumcision, which he said could reduce the risk of infection by up to 60 percent, "

Please read further the following link:

http://72.14.235.132/search?q=cache:-oxvu-ruhVEJ:data.unaids.org/pub/Rep...

Conclusion 2: Male circumcision does not provide complete protection against HIV

and read more from the following link

http://www.icgi.org/.

“Male circumcision is too costly to justify in the HIV battle. Even if circumcision does offer some protection against heterosexually transmitted HIV, condoms clearly provide more protection, at a much lower cost,” says study co-author and Wellness Associates co-founder John Travis, MD, MPH. “We found that it just doesn’t make sense to perform mass surgeries in a region of the world struggling to meet the most basic healthcare needs, especially when there are more cost-effective plans for achieving the same results.”

Thanks.

Iain (not verified) — Mon, 12/01/2008 - 12:14pm

Indonesian government doesn't do anything unless someone can profit from it.

Exception being when it is political advantageous.

So, until then, don't expect anything different.

Joking again. (not verified) — Mon, 12/01/2008 - 10:22am

Actions include promoting male circumcision, which could reduce the risk of infection by up to 60 percent !!!

THE BEST JOKE I EVER HEARD !!!

Luv life (not verified) — Mon, 12/01/2008 - 9:43am

i think that there is a cure for this deadly desease, but you have to be rich if you ever want to get it

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