Filipinos living with HIV/AIDS: A voice for self-healing and access to treatment.
Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. D10126)
Hernandez LI, Imperial RH Coll of Arts and Sciences, Univ of the Phils Manila, Manila, Philippines
Issues : At present, there is no national access to treatment plan intended for Filipinos living with HIV/AIDS (FLWHA) despite the implementation of Republic Act No. 8504 (The Philippine AIDS Law). Filipino positives or sometimes called in the vernacular as 'Pusits' rely on their provision and its purchase of drugs from India, North America and some parts of Europe. For most of the pusits, the escalating costs of the drugs can not be sufficiently sustained because they belong to the middle-lower income brackets. Instead, they resorted to alternative healing. Description : This paper will integrate the pusits' perceptions, behaviors and attitudes with regard to access to treatment. The paper will also describe their self-healing practices while waiting for the next purchase of their drugs. Issues not only to access will be presented by this paper but it includes rich discussions with regard to gender, discrimination, drug compliance and lifestyle issues after the commencement of their access to treatment. Lessons Learned : Much can be learned from the experiences of the pusits with regard to their culture-based self-healing modalities. While they wait for drugs (as a medical intervention), the pusits indulge in other activities that would redound to their interests relative to their state of mental health (being positive). Recommendation : The body-mind continuum of these pusits can provide a vacuum of information that can be helpful in designing policies and programs for access to treatment in the Philippines.
Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Seropositivity, HIV Infections, Public Policy, Politics, Philippines, Socioeconomic Factors, Anti-HIV Agents, India, North America, Europe, therapy
