Neither discrimination against HIV nor the
number of the patients has decreased in years unlike in developed
countries, according to the head of a nongovernmental organization who
accused the Ministry of Health of not taking the issue seriously.
Nejat Ünlü, head of the Positive Life Foundation, or PYD said there
was an increase in the numbers of HIV patients, contrary to the general
decrease in the world.
“Some 5,000 people have been infected by HIV according to official
records, while the number was 4,525 last year,” said Ünlü. Also, he said
Turkey wass a hotbed of the disease as a bridge where 25 million
tourists gather every year, also welcoming people from Ukraine and
Uzbekistan, where there are many HIV patients.
A target of disease
“If you consider there are many unregistered employees in Turkey from
these countries, we can say that with its young population Turkey is a
target of the disease,”
According to the World Health Organization, or WHO, research, Ünlü
said, the real numbers of the patients are 10 times more than official
numbers, because many purposely do not go to the hospital to avoid being
registered due to the concerns of their disease being official.
People from anywhere are facing discrimination in Turkey, for
instance the prisoners who have HIV are isolated or cannot take their
medicines in prison conditions, he said.
“Despite the rising numbers of the patients, the Health Ministry has
no activity program on the issue. We have a national HIV commission,
which did not even meet for three years since it was established. “
“We do not know how many people died related to the disease, or how
many are receiving treatment,” he said adding that the ministry should
give consultancy service to the patients as many do not even know about
the disease.
Consultancy service
Ünlü said that even if the test results are negative, the ministry
should provide a consultancy services for people: “We are so ignorant on
the issue, because there are no courses for students at high schools,
but many are having sexual intercourse during this time.”
Emphasizing the importance of the education, Ünlü said that they
received much criticism from parents when distributing condoms at youth
festivals. “We are not promoting sex, but trying to prevent our youth
from being infected by the disease,” he added.
He also noted that there should be free health centers where people could take the tests for free.
Professor Deniz Gökengin, from the Ege University Infectious Diseases
Department, told the Daily News that the disease could be treated;
however, the drugs are expensive and some drugs cannot be imported as
the Health Ministry did not approve importing some drugs.
Contrary to Ünlü’s statements, Gökengin believes that the government
is now focusing on the issue and that Gökengin is happy due to the new
projects of the ministry.
“Patients should continue with the treatment. Even if the treatment
stops for a while, all the effort is frustrating as the virus become
stronger in recess,” he said.
/Hurriyet Daily News/