The Different Policies Related to HIV and AIDS - Research Paper Example

Running Head: HIV/AIDS HEALTH POLICIES HIV/AIDS Health Policies in the International and National Context HIV/AIDS Health Policies HIV/AIDS is one of the causes of major concerns in the international community since it had affected a significant number of people throughout the world. In the end of 2001, the 25 million people died because of HIV/AIDS while 40 million were known to be still living with the disease (Patterson and London, 2002, p.964). Different groups including government, private and public sectors had been working constantly in the national and international level to counteract the increasing prevalence of the condition. The paper is aimed to present the different HIV/AIDS health policies established and implemented in the national and international community to resolve and to counteract the effects of the disease. Included in the topics discussed are the funding initiatives and the relationship to established policies; insurance and health coverage; cultural, religious and spiritual beliefs and influences; and the political issues related to HIV/AIDS. The Different Policies Related to HIV/AIDS There are international and national health policies established and implemented to resolve the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In the international community, the main leaders in the initiatives related to the disease include the United Nations and other coalition organized by different countries. In the national level, every country with the participation of both the public and public sectors has their own course of action, depending mainly on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the particular country. There are different areas needed to be given attention to achieve an effective formulation of policies. One of the said areas is the relationship of the international human rights to the response of the authorities and the public to the disease. This can be attributed to the fact that by focusing on the components of the human rights, improvement in the public health principles and health care provisions can be perceived and taken into consideration. This view was also considered as one of the most effective ways to implement action with regards to the high number of HIV/AIDS cases. The international human rights law in the context of HIV/AIDS had been established in 1996 by representatives of the UNAIDS, the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights, different national AIDS programs, NGOs and people with HIV/AIDS. This resulted to the International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and human rights (Patterson and London, 2002, p.965). One example of policy is the criminalization of transmission. In certain countries, criminalization of the transmission of HIV/AIDS is recognized as a criminal offense but the UNAIDS perceived that the said action has no significant effect on the prevention and elimination of the cases of HIV/AIDS. Instead, the UNAIDS proposed that criminal law can be applied for limited circumstances e.g. international transmission of HIV or aggravating factor in rape and defilement (UNAIDS, 2008, p.7). Another focus of the policies implemented regarding HIV/AIDS is the access to antiretroviral treatment for the improvement of the life led by the people living with HIV/AIDS. Based on the studies related to the said policy, improvement of access to medication and therapy can increase the number of people seeking treatment. It will then improve the accuracy of the recorded cases of HIV/AIDS thus further formulation and implementation of policies and solutions can be undertaken (WHO, 2005, p.1). Other policies included in the fight for HIV/AIDS are related to injecting drug use, discrimination to people living with HIV/AIDS, sex work, men having sex with men, focus on children and women, education of the public and ethical clinical research. These issues cover both the international and national communities with generalized policies for international needs and specific policies for every country (Gable, World Bank and Global HIV/AIDS Program, 2007). In South Africa, for example, where a large percentage of the people affected by the epidemic resides, the policies are based on the recommendations and the hindrances in relation to the disease as observed by the authorities such as the health workers, social workers and NGOs working in the region. Compared to countries such as the United States and those in the European region, the state of public health is one of the most important contributing factors. Due to the geographical and financial limitations in relation to access to healthcare and education, the epidemic of HIV/AIDS had been the worst in this region, thus, the need for attention and strict policies in countries such as Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe (Zungu-Dirwayi et al., 2004). The Funding for HIV/AIDS Initiatives and the Impact The funding for HIV/AIDS programs are coming from the international and national sources, both from the public and the private sectors. The USAID has both the national and international drives for the benefit of the people with HIV/AIDS. One of the funding from the United States, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief allocated $6.8 billion in 2010. Fifty countries received $3.6 billion of the said funds through different forms of bilateral and regional programs. In addition, there are also small grants or community REACH which assist the different organizations contributing to the fight against HIV/AIDS such as local and regional NGOs, universities, and faith-based organizations ranging from $100,000 - 500,000 (USAID, 2009). The private sector is also composed of groups and individuals that contribute to the funding for the fight against HIV/AIDS such as foundations, renowned personalities in different fields and philanthropists. One example is the HIV/AIDS funding grants of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with the main focus on the prevention and treatment in developing countries, the support on model country programs to fight AIDS, to develop an effective HIV vaccine, the acceleration of research related to the disease including the joint TB-HIV epidemic and the improvement of global awareness on HIV/AIDS (2011). There organizations and individuals are just few of the examples of entities contributing to the solution of the HIV/AIDS problem. Another important issue is the efficacy of the solutions undertaken by the past advocacies. Since the establishment of formalized action against HIV/AIDS by different countries, there had been observed improvement. But in the year 2009, UNAIDS presented data that denotes the significant increase in the number of people infected with HIV/AIDS regardless of efforts of different sectors. New HIV cases reaching 2.6 million people had been recorded while 1.8 million people died. In terms of treatment, only 15 million people are receiving proper medical care. This is the main reason for the intensified advocacy of different organizations and authorities on the fight against HIV/AIDS, specifically with the target of zero increase in HIV cases through improvement of HIV prevention, treatment and advancement of human rights and gender equality in HIV response (UNAIDS, 2010). Healthcare Response One issue regarding HIV/AIDS is the difference in healthcare responses between the insured and uninsured patients. In the study conducted by Knowlton et al. with the main focus on the access of injection drug users with HIV/AIDS to medical care and service utilization (2001). Based on the results gathered in the study, the low income and uninsured former and current drug injectors understudy received suboptimal outpatient care without alternative use of hospital services. The only way they were given access to the hospital care and facilities was though participation in drug treatment programs and studies. This is given more priority over the AIDS diagnosis (Knowlton et al. (2001). Healthcare insurance coverage can make a difference specifically in people with HIV/AIDS and other conditions. A study on HIV triply-diagnosed adults specifically those with chronic mental illness and substance abuse disorders revealed that there is only 3% who uses private coverage compared to 30% for those people with HIV/AIDS. In terms of uninsured patients, there are 16% HIV triply-diagnosed adults and 20% HIV/AIDS adults. Results showed that more than one third of the sample population below poverty line were uninsured and cannot afford their medical expenses or insurance coverage (Conover et al., 2010). In the US, Medicaid is the basic health insurance for 59 million low income Americans. The benefits of the said insurance specifically for the people living with HIV/AIDS include access to long-term care services and provision of prescription drugs. There is a continuous increase in the number of beneficiaries of Medicaid with HIV/AIDS through time. This is important since even in high cost of medical care and the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, the said cases were only 2% of the total Medicaid expenses (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2009). Health insurance can make a huge difference in the access for health care of people living with HIV/AIDS. For that matter, every country should have HIV/AIDS insurance coverage for people with low income or other conditions to be able to lessen the cases of the disease in the national and international community. Effects of Cultural, Social and Religious Factors in Addressing HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS can affect not only the physical aspect of a person but also the different facets of his well-being. This can be attributed to the fact that there are prejudices against people living with HIV/AIDS. One example that can be presented is the cases of HIV/AIDS in African American population. Due to the racial discrimination, poverty and inequality, cases of the disease and infections are not being treated. Even the preventive methods had not been effective in counteracting the effects of the disease (Williams and Prather, 2010). Another example is the cultural attitude of the South African people regarding sexual activity and childbearing by people that are HIV-positive. In the said culture, people living with HIV/AIDS are continuously practicing unsafe sexual activities and childbirth regardless of the dangers of the disease. Although this can be related to the human rights of a person to reproduce and have family, this practice had been considered as one of the most significant contributing factor to the massive cases of HIV/AIDS in South Africa (Myer, Morroni and Cooper, 2006). Religious beliefs can also have a significant effect on the prevention and solution to HIV/AIDS. One is through prevention. This can be attributed to the fact that certain religions believe in the sanctity of sexual activity e.g. Catholicism in giving importance to the purity of the person prior to marriage. The religious code can dogma can result to social discipline. These are the positive influence to addressing HIV/AIDS. On the other hand, it can lead to social alienation since certain religious practices condemn people living with the disease as outcasts. The influence of religious organizations can be utilized by the authorities in health promotion, prevention and resolution of the HIV/AIDS epidemic (Solomon, 1996). Conclusion In the study conducted, the different issues related to HIV/AIDS had been presented and discussed. Based on the information gathered, although the disease can detrimentally affect the society in the international and national levels, significant number of ways and methods had been reviewed that can help in finding solutions to the epidemic. A few examples of the said solutions are continuous organizational and individuals’ advocacies, religious influences on social discipline, provision of insurance and health care access for the low-income people, and healthcare access and information dissemination for people in remote areas and regions. Bibliography Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2011) Funding for HIV/AIDS Grants. Retrieved January 29, 2011, from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/grantseeker/Pages/funding-hiv-aids.aspx Conover, C.J., Weaver, M., Arno, P., Ang, A. and Ettner, S.L. (2010) Insurance Coverage among People Living with Combined HIV/AIDS, Chronic Mental Illness, and Substance Abuse Disorders. Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved, 21 (3), 1006-30. Gable, L., World Bank and Global HIV/AIDS Program (2007). Legal Aspects of HIV/AIDS: A Guide for Policy and Law Reform. World Bank Publications. Kaiser Family Foundation (2009) Medicaid and HIV/AIDS Fact Sheet. Retrieved January 30, 2011, from http://www.kff.org/hivaids/upload/7172_04.pdf Knowlton, A.R., Hoover, D.R., Chung, A., Celentano, D.D., Vlahov, D. and Latkin, C.A. (2001) Access to Medical Care and Service Utilization among Injection Drug Users with HIV/AIDS. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 64 (1), 55-62. Myer, L., Morroni, C. and Cooper, D. (2006). Community Attitudes Towards Sexual Activity and Childbearing by HIV-Positive People in South Africa. AIDS Care, 18 (7), 772-776. Patterson, D. and London, L. (2002). International Law, Human Rights and HIV/AIDS. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 80 (12), 964-9. Solomon, S. (1996). Religious Beliefs and HIV/AIDS/STD Health Promotion. AIDS STD Health Promotion Exch, 2, 1-3. UNAIDS (2008, August) Criminalization of HIV Transmission. Retrieved January 29, 2011, from http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/dataimport/pub/basedocument/2008/20080731_jc1513_policy_criminalization_en.pdf UNAIDS (2010) Getting to Zero: 2011-2015 Strategy. UNAIDS. USAID (2009, June) HIV/AIDS Funding. Retrieved January 30, 2011, from http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/aids/Funding/index.html WHO (2005). Policy Brief: Antiretroviral Therapy and Injecting Drug Users. Retrieved January 29, 2011, from http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/prev_care/arvidu.pdf Williams, K.M. and Prather, C.M. (2010) Racism, Poverty and HIV/AIDS Among African Americans. African American and HIV/AIDS, 2, 31-51. Zungu-Dirwayi, N., Human Sciences Research Council, Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS and Health and W.K. Kellogg Foundation (2004). An Audit of HIV/AIDS Policies in Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. HSRC Press. Read More