DOH calls for equal access, services for persons with HIV

The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday called on all concerned to provide equal access and services for persons with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) without difficulty or stigma.

The DOH launched on World Aids Day the 7th AIDS Medium Term Plan (AMTP) to contribute to the global goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

“We must all work together not just to implement our strategies and interventions, but to ensure that those who need it most–especially our People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and other key populations–are able to access our HIV services without difficulty or stigma,” DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

“Beyond this, we must also harness our individual expertise and join our efforts to address the systemic and socioeconomic barriers that prevent our fellow Filipinos from leading healthy, productive lives free from the impacts of HIV. Only through collective action will we be able to end the HIV epidemic in the country,” she added.

She also called to practice safe sex, regularly undergo HIV testing, and encouraged others to do the same to prevent the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

The DOH, citing the data from Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, said 38.4 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2021.

It said that the Philippines has the fastest-growing HIV case with a 237% increase in annual new HIV infections from 2010 to 2021.

During the same period, AIDS-related deaths have increased by 315%, it added.

Based on the latest DOH HIV, AIDS, and ART Registry of the Philippines, at least 107,177 cases were logged since January 1984.

It also stated that there were 1,383 newly-diagnosed cases and 65 newly-reported deaths in the country as of October 2022.

Meanwhile, 96% of new cases were male, while the age of reported cases ranged from two to 75 years old.

The DOH said sexual contact remained the predominant mode of transmission at 97%.

“According to experts, if the current efforts in HIV response are maintained, the estimated PLHIV in the Philippines could reach 364,000 by 2030, which is a two-fold increase from the estimated PLHIV by the end of 2022,” the DOH said.

Vergeire said the DOH strives to ensure the continuous, unhampered provision of health services to all Filipinos, adding that it also appealed for the support of other sectors and stakeholders.

“We also require the support of other sectors and stakeholders to cultivate a sustainable and supportive environment that is responsive to the needs of our vulnerable and key populations–such as our PLHIVs,” she said.

“The goal of ending AIDS can only be achieved if the inequalities that predispose us to the disease and exacerbate its impacts are addressed,” she added. —NB, GMA Integrated News