|
"Treatment more accessible but
ignorance prevails"
The
Star (www.thestar.com.my)
(20/05/07)
TREATMENT for HIV/AIDS patients in Malaysia has become more accessible, said
Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) Media and Communications officer Shalina Azhar.
“The Health Ministry has played a tremendous role in ensuring treatment is
available,” she said.
For one, the cost of treatment has come down drastically. According to
Shalina, people once had to fork out an average of RM2,000 a month for
treatment, while nowadays it would cost between RM50 and RM200 depending on
the drugs used.
In care and support, the number of treating doctors has also increased.
However, the fight to prevent the spread of HIV is not without its problems,
and a major one is people's false sense of security.
“There is a huge misconception that only prostitutes and drug users can
contract HIV/AIDS. The larger population think they will never get infected
and thus it's not an issue that affects them,” Shalina said.
The fact that they are married, they don't go to prostitutes and that they
are not gay are some of the reasons they cite for not wanting to know about
HIV/AIDS.
“Every segment of society is affected and people need to understand that.
“Ignorance fuels stigma and discrimination,” she said.
On their part, the MAC's main priority is educating young people on the
importance of abstinence, being faithful and using condoms. They also employ
harm reduction methods such as giving out new needles to hardcore drug users
and condoms to sex workers.
“We are not advocating these behaviours. We are just helping to take care,”
said Shalina. — By RASHVINJEET S. BEDI
 Back to
News Page
|
