HIV law useless – Miriam

COMPLACENCY and lack of government support have virtually made the HIV and AIDS Control Law useless, according to Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, who filed a new measure in recognition of World AIDS Day, which is observed today.

Senate Bill (SB) 3072 or the Philippine Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Policy and Plan Act of 2011, seeks to establish a National HIV and AIDS Plan that will create clear strategies, targets, framework and funding to fight the deadly disease.
The bill also hopes to correct inadequacies of the existing law in addressing spread of HIV.

“The HIV and AIDS Prevention and Control Act [Republic Act 8504], enacted in 1998, was once hailed as a model legislation, but the spread of HIV is outpacing the 13-year-old law. The preventive interventions that it prescribes are no longer fully aligned with what years of experience and evidence on HIV prevention recommend,” Santiago noted.

She said that the old law lacked enabling mechanisms to enforce its human-rights provisions.

“The response to the epidemic has been marked with complacency, lack of political leadership and reckless disregard of evidence-informed strategies and approaches that could prevent the spread of the virus,” Santiago added.

“Every five years, the country adopts an HIV and AIDS Medium-Term Plan, a national roadmap on HIV and AIDS, but the implementation of this strategic plan is impeded by recalcitrant government agencies and lack of support from the national government,” she further noted.

The senator said that the HIV and AIDS legal framework conflicts with laws recently enacted, thus restricting actions that are crucial to halt the spread of the disease.

The Philippines was previously a “low and slow” country, with HIV incidence recorded at one new infection per day.

But recent reports pointed to seven new infections a day, making the Philippines one of seven countries where HIV infection continues to rise.

“Domestic and international health experts have not been remiss in warning the country that it has all the necessary ingredients for an HIV epidemic. Condom use is low among Filipinos. Among key populations, sexually transmitted infections and multiple sexual partnerships are common,” the senator said.

She warned that it is just a matter of time before the country is hit by an HIV epidemic.

Santiago’s bill promotes HIV and AIDS education; develops programs to provide economic support to persons living with HIV; and provides accessible treatment, management of infections and health services related to sexually transmitted infections.

Secretary Enrique Ona of the Department of Health admitted that the growing number of HIV cases is alarming.

He said that the Health department is recording an average of six new infections everyday.

A decade ago, Ona added, it was only one new case every two days.

He attributed the spread to unsafe sex practices.

“The HIV situation, while alarming, is concentrated among key populations at higher risk and not the public at large. This provides us with greater opportunity to halt and reverse the trend in the next few years, one which will require a more focused, muliti-sectoral approach and efficient implementation of prevention and control programs,” Ona said.

In September 2011 alone, there were 253 new HIV cases, the highest number of new HIV infections recorded.

Records showed that majority of the new patients, a high 95 percent, were male.

From January to September this year, there were 1,669 HIV cases recorded, 71 AIDS cases and 15 deaths. –Neil A. Alcober Correspondent and Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz, Reporter, Manila Times