World AIDS Day 2020 was commemorated in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic which has not yet ended. The Covid-19 pandemic has indeed had a major impact on world health. One of them is for people with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA). They are worried and afraid to access health services for fear of being infected by Covid-19.
As is well known, HIV and AIDS are diseases that attack the immune system. As a result, the PLWHA group is one of the most vulnerable and at risk targets if they are infected with Covid-19.
Responding to this, the Executive Director of the Indonesia AIDS Coalition, Aditya Wardhana said that the Covid-19 pandemic situation forced the government to modify the program to ensure that every PLHIV can still get access to treatment. One of them is client centered service.
Read also: World AIDS Day, Indonesia Failed to Achieve HIV Control Targets
Several forms of client centered services that can be done, among others
1. Give multi-month antiretroviral (ARV).
2. giving ARV in the form of a fixed dose combination (KDT) or a fix dose combination that is more patient friendly (a combination of ARV Tenofovor, Lmivudine, and dolutegravir).
3. Extended service for ARV and Viral Load services in collaboration with NGOs.
4. Telemedicines for consultation with doctors and HIV counselors.
However, Aditya said HIV prevention in Indonesia still faces challenges. This is proven by the gap in the commitment generated by the Political Declaration of Commitment to solve the AIDS problem in 2030. The expected global target of 90 percent, namely 576,399 people living with HIV / AIDS, can be resolved, but Indonesia’s achievements in 2020 are only 54 percent, which is approximately 344,525 people.
“The leadership of the AIDS program has become blurred, after the dissolution of the National AID Adventure Commission (KPAN) in 2016. The issue of HIV only seems to be the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and has forgotten the social and economic aspects surrounding the HIV Epidemic,” said Aditya in the 2020 World AIDS Day Press Conference. : Auto-Pilot AIDS response. The country failed to achieve the 90-90-90 target, Monday (30/11/2020).
Apart from that, funding is another challenge that Indonesia has. This is because program funding, particularly to support the work of NGOs, which are at the forefront of the majority, is funded by donors. The reallocation and refocusing of handling Covid-19 has made the budgeting scheme for HIV programs lacking.
“The work and participation of NGOs and communities are not yet seen as part of the structure of the health system. One proof is that funding for the work of NGOs and communities has not been budgeted from the APBN and APBD, ”he concluded.
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