Just a few little questions to accompany the two WAD articles from Eleven Myanmar.
Should a political party be implementing prevention and care activities? Should UNAIDS?
Will Eleven Myanmar ever get the numbers and their context right?
Jamie
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NLD celebrates World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day was commemorated at the NLD’s headquarters in Yangon.
YANGON—A ceremony to mark World AIDS Day was held at the headquarters of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Yangon yesterday. It was attended by Shwenyawa Sayadaw U Pyinyar Thiha, NLD patron U Tin Oo, NLD executive member U Win Htein, NLD AIDS Centre director MP Phyu Phyu Thin, actor Bay Lu Wa and patients.
The music troop Pan Ye Lan provided musical entertainment and made cash donations.
The Shwenyawa Sayadaw delivered a sermon and donated food and Ks 500,000 for the patients.
U Tin Oo made an opening speech and comforted the HIV/AIDS patients.
MP Phyu Phyu Thin explained the background history of healthcare services provided by the NLD to the patients, the construction of new housing in Dagon Myothit (East) and future plans to provide healthcare services to the patients.
“At present, there are nearly 210,000 AIDS patients in Myanmar. However, just over 150,000 patients receive ART drugs, as the management system is very weak in distributing ART drugs to the patients,” said MP Phyu Phyu Thin.
“We are going to try to make changes for those who are now suffering the HIV/AIDS. Someone asked me what I was doing in the parliament about the patients. Those patients are suffering from the disease. In our country, there are many patients who shouldn’t die from HIV-related conditions. But they have died. The reason is the health management system wasn’t good. That’s why we must change the bad health management system. We need to try to participate in the nation’s changes hand-in-hand. I’m ready to try for the changes,” MP Phyu Phyu Thin added.
“I came from Kyaukpadaung Township, Mandalay Region. Currently I’m being treated at the Sanpya Hospital because I have a tumour on my neck. I live at MP Phyu Phyu Thin’s hostel. Sister Phyu Phyu Thin brought me when I was seriously suffering from the disease to her hostel in 2005. It is very convenient to stay here. I’m very grateful for those who protect us. If we return back home, we will be uncomfortable because people discriminate against the disease in our native towns. Now, I’m attending a sewing course at the hostel. As for the other HIV/AIDS patients, I would tell them there is no need to be downhearted,” said San San Myint, one of the patients.
The NLD HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Centre was founded in 2002 to provide guidance and training about HIV/AIDS. The aim of the organisation is to eliminate HIV/AIDS from Myanmar. Current activities include the operation of a community centre to provide basic shelter and medical treatment to HIV/AIDS patients as well as activities to assist with reintegration of HIV/AIDS patients to society.
The centre cares for more than 200 AIDS patients.
For the convenience of the patients, a new 3.5-storey building is being built in Dagon Myothit (East). Funds are being raised for the construction of the new building and for food and medicine for the patients.
http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/local/nld-celebrates-world-aids-day
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UNAIDS pledges healthcare for Myanmar patients
A patient at the NLD’s AIDS Centre. (Photo-Kyi Naing/EMG)
UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, promised in a statement on Tuesday that it will provide nearly 100 per cent of the health services and medicines for AIDS patients in Myanmar by 2020.
UNAIDS’s five-year anti-AIDS national strategy aims to provide healthcare for 90 per cent of HIV-exposed patients, educate the infected, treat at least 90 per cent of the infected, control the rate of infection and reduce the social stigma toward patients.
Rates of HIV infection are highest in Shan and Kachin states, which have high rates of people who inject drugs (PWIDs).
The rate of HIV infection among the PWIDs is 29 per cent in Myitkyina, Kachin State. Drug injection is one of the fastest ways to be exposed to HIV and has the potential to cxause an epidemic. Poppy plantations, drug dealings, and armed conflict are the root causes of the the widespread drug-induced HIV infection in Kachin and Shan states.
Migrant and manual workers in these areas are easily attracted to drugs. An HIV survey from this year says 22 per cent of the PWIDs were infected – a rise from last year’s 18.7 per cent.
Myanmar had 198,000 HIV patients in 2013, and about 150,000 people die from AIDS and related diseases annually. Myanmar’s strict laws against the drug use contribute to difficulties in lowering the risk of infection among PWIDs.
Addicts may face jail sentences of between three and five years, and if someone is found with more than three grams of heroin, they could be sentenced to between five years and life in prison.
Shan State is home to 90 per cent of Myanmar’s poppy plantations.
http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/local/unaids-pledges-healthcare-myanmar-patients
