Groups of people living with HIV public organizations and various associations have always been at the forefront of prevention and care from the very beginning of the AIDS epidemic. The mobilization of various organizations and people living with HIV helps to ensure the best quality of services in the field of HIV / AIDS. It also depends on change the world about AIDS and people living with HIV. Lack of access to modern HIV / AIDS in many regions - this is a problem whose solution is impossible without the involvement of community and government organizations, and groups of people with HIV/AIDS.
Access to treatment is difficult and tense area for several reasons:
Drugs such as anti-retrovirals and other essential medicines available to people in many parts of the world. Even if they are available, many factors make them unacceptable. These factors include: discrimination against people with HIV, the inadequacy of the medical facilities and other factors that prevent people receive treatment, which they need. Access to treatment is not only access to medicines, but also to other means: laboratory tests, syringes, condoms, etc.
Failure to enforce the right to health means that people with HIV and their loved ones, is organic choice for the treatment of HIV infection, if such a choice at all.
Anti-retrovirals have been able to radically change the length and quality of life for people living with HIV. But these same drugs have raised some important issues. Do the people living in poor regions, the right to receive medical treatment, on which depends their lives? If so, what can we do to this treatment has become affordable and acceptable? What should I change in the health system to enable the provision of expensive treatment?
Also often forgotten that there are other aspects of treatment, in addition to anti-retroviral drugs. For quality care, you need: housing, food, clean water, access to information, treatment of other infections, etc.
In medicine still believed that treatment - an issue which does not have the right to intervene themselves, patients and representatives of communities and community organizations. Experience shows, however, that the approach to treatment, based on the active role of community leads to the treatment process less mysterious and mythologize that "the laity can understand the purpose and limitations of drugs, and that only active participation of people with HIV can maintain their health.
The attitude and actions in the area of treatment
Safe and effective treatment of HIV / AIDS is vital for many people. That is why, attitudes and actions in the treatment of those who provide or receive care must also be safe and effective. Even drugs need to support the atmosphere to work well.
Underlying these actions must be "based on a relationship." Their goal - improving the quality of life of people with HIV. This two-sided process in which both sides should treat each other with trust and respect.
A relationship can arise not only from physicians and their patients. They also include family members, pharmacists, consultants, representatives of churches and many others. The establishment of such relations requires:
knowledge - understanding and information about the new treatment and drugs, HIV transmission, nutrition, living with HIV in general, etc.
skills - the ability to listen to others, make responsible decisions, advise, assess, etc.
attitude - an honest approach that promotes the attainment of power by people with HIV, based on humanity, tolerance and common sense.
Also important aspect of access to treatment is ethics - a code of conduct to inflict evil, reduce suffering and give people the opportunity to make decisions independently. This is particularly important in the treatment of HIV / AIDS, given all the complexities and contradictions related to this matter.
The introduction of ethics in access to treatment can be very effective. For example, you can not deal with access to treatment, not knowing the Constitution, national legislation on AIDS, the Convention of Human Rights, as well as all laws prohibiting discrimination.
Information on treatment
Full information on the treatment needed to ensure safe and effective care for HIV / AIDS. More information is needed and health workers and patients to help them cooperate with each other for access to adequate treatment, optimal for the patient. Without adequate information, is always the risk of improper treatment, medical errors and lack of treatment in principle.
Good information on the treatment consists of many different elements. There is no doubt that health workers need clear guidelines on the appointment and security products. As for people living with HIV, it did not have information about treatment options, they simply will not apply to him. All the people who have it, or otherwise relates to the treatment must have full information about the possibilities of medicine at the moment. Without it possible effective action to improve access to treatment.
Co-operation and willingness to be circulated in the area of treatment depends on what people know about the current treatment method of its actions, its positive and negative effects. There is a need to know how treatment would affect the daily lives of people, but it can cost as professionals and what preparations are needed for the appointment of treatment, a medical equipment and facilities may be needed.
People initially may be knowledge about the disease and treatment, but this information is often misleading. Information on treatment has already "runs" in different organizations and the community of HIV-positive. People learn from their experience and expertise of others. Also, patchy information appears in the media and other sources outside the medical field. However, this information is often unreliable. The representation of people on treatment there are serious gaps to be filled by various myths, which, in turn, hampers access to treatment. So in one seminar in Zambia, participants tried to portray their understanding of and treatment of diseases associated with HIV / AIDS. As a result, it turned out that among the participants, who were working in different organizations and represented community of people with HIV, there was a real knowledge and serious gaps. For example, no mention was made all preparations, often cited ineffective drugs, people confused brand names and official titles. Also, not all the participants emerged presentation that the treatment may take a person with HIV not only with the disease, but also to prevent their occurrence.
Treatment and individual groups
The life of every person with HIV is unique, she was influenced by various factors, it has various resources. Where possible, treatment of HIV / AIDS must be implemented in accordance with individual rights and personal needs.
Very often, services for the care and treatment do not take into account the needs of individual groups, especially those who reject society because of their age, sex, behavior, profession or status. Representatives of these groups face
When working with own groups, it is important that services meet the real needs of those whom they are intended to help. For example, injecting drug users may need advice on how drugs to treat HIV infection can interact with drugs. Moreover, in many cases, it is important not only take care of the needs of specific groups, but also to deal with possible discrimination by health workers and other people with HIV and society as a whole. Even if the differences in the care and treatment in relation to a particular group due to well-intentioned, they only reinforce prejudice and isolation. The approach to treatment must be holistic - it must meet the unique experience of the individual, rather than just diagnosing and discriminatory labels.
It also must take into account the needs of the families of those living with HIV. Thus, the treatment of HIV-positive parents directly affect the lives and welfare of their children, even if the children themselves do not have HIV infection. After all, in case an adult, the child will receive less care and concern, but if he is an adult, he himself will become a nurse. The families of HIV-positive, especially children - are another group of people in need in the modern treatment of HIV infection, even if they do not take it themselves.
even greater obstacles in obtaining treatment. For example, in India, women receive care only in second place after the men. In Ecuador, homosexual men can not get adequate medical care because of discrimination by doctors. In Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union, injecting drug users are usually ineligible to receive anti-retroviral drugs, because it is believed that they were not able to comply with the complicated regimen.
Development cooperation
No person, organization or an entire sector can not make changes in the treatment of HIV / AIDS alone. Partnership is essential, and it will also help guarantee the effectiveness of action. The partnership is especially important in the treatment, because it guarantees that the measures taken is equal to the needs of people with HIV, and that different patterns of health (services for the prevention, reproductive health, HIV / AIDS, tuberculosis) are working to achieve a common goal.
The partnership should develop between the different groups: community of people with HIV, regional entities, religious organizations, pharmaceutical companies, representatives business and various media. For example, a network of positive people in India had worked closely with local authorities. The team of volunteers and consultants visited 3-4 network of local hospitals, providing support for people with HIV and increasing the knowledge and training of health workers. This has helped to significantly improve the quality of care for HIV in the region.
Involving people living with HIV
People with HIV are not just "take" treatment. They may also provide care, information, assessment of the situation and defend their interests. Involving people living with HIV as individuals and as groups become increasingly important. For example, a study in Ecuador showed that the participation of people with HIV to take decision help increase access to medicines. In Zambia, the involvement of people living with HIV prevention programs make the diagnosis of HIV infection earlier, allowing people to contact a doctor before any health problems.
Involving people living with HIV is important not only at the stage of program implementation, but also in the development phase, especially if it is to make the service more relevant and "friendly" for people with HIV. On the other hand, people with HIV play a central role in the advocacy of access to treatment. In the field of HIV-positive use of the expertise and skills, and his direct experience, for example, of side effects and compliance with treatment regimens.
Experience shows that the involvement of people living with HIV in the design, implementation and evaluation of the effectiveness of programs is vital to improve access to treatment for HIV / AIDS. People with HIV choose the degree of their participation. This can be either defending their own rights to treatment, as well as volunteering or permanent work in an organization dealing with the treatment.
Types of participation of people with HIV may also be different. It can be educational and advisory work on treatment. Here, people with HIV helps their personal experience and the opportunity to serve as positive role models for others. On the other hand, without the necessary preparation of their advice may facilitate the spread was not correct information.
Also, people with HIV may judged access to care among health workers and government representatives, speaking from the perspective of their own experience, which often leads to a constructive dialog between the parties.
Community Involvement
Involvement of people, decision-makers and ordinary citizens need to improve access to treatment. This can reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV, and to ensure that the needs of people with HIV will be taken into account when allocating resources.
Community may be involved in work on access to treatment at different levels. Thus, they can participate in the evaluation of needs and progress in increasing access. They can provide support to various organizations and groups of people with HIV, for example, by providing them with resources and engaging in their work. Representatives of communities can become a volunteer organization or to support other private. For example, in Cambodia, the involvement of volunteers in providing psychosocial support to people affected by the epidemic, allowing health workers to devote his work exclusively health issues, also volunteers consultants were able to establish relationships with doctors and traditional healers, which was overcome mutual distrust between these groups .
Remember also that the political situation and economic opportunities are changing rapidly. These changes can make anti-etroviral treatment more affordable than ever before. But to anti-retroviral drugs actually became available community must "prepare" for them. To do this, it is necessary to understand the submission of these products, Existing in this community, to provide education on HIV / AIDS treatment to potential patients. It is not possible without the involvement of community as a whole and people with HIV. It also would require an active dialogue with people, decision makers, including those who work outside the health sector. It is imperative that the entire society has been growing awareness and knowledge about contemporary treatment of HIV infection and the need for its implementation.
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