Inter Press Service - May 13, 1999
Silvio Hernandez

Dr. Orlando Quintero, speaking in name of the protesters, pointed out that the state currently spent around 12,000 dollars a year per patient to combat the opportunistic infections and conditions that eventually kill AIDS patients, compared to the 6,500 dollar annual cost of the latest treatment, triple combination therapy.

Also known as the cocktail drug treatment, combination therapy with anti-retroviral drugs - which inhibit the appearance of AIDS-related conditions - has been around since 1996, said Quintero, who was infected while attending a patient with AIDS (acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome).

People testing positive for HIV (human immuno-deficiency virus) protested last week outside of the central office of the Social Security Fund, as well as the Supreme Court of Justice, to which they had turned in search of legal support.

The Supreme Court refused to back the protesters' demand Wednesday, said Quintero, who added however that "we hope some authority will decide to give us what we are asking."

On Thursday protesters staged roadblocks across several downtown streets in their struggle, which they described as one of "life or death."

The director of the Social Security Fund, Marianela Morales, said anti-retroviral drugs were very costly, and could only be provided to a limited number of patients, pending a special decision by the Fund's board of directors, scheduled to meet over the weekend.

But one of the demonstrators, Carlos Nunez, a young man living with HIV, pointed out that most of those demanding combination therapy had paid into the Social Security Fund for years. He aruged that it was their right "for that institution to reimburse them, in solidarity, for what they have contributed." Quintero stressed that the only option for improving the quality of life of HIV-carriers and allowing them to "continue to be useful to society" was for the state to provide anti- retroviral drugs.

Quintero and his wife - who was infected by her husband - lead an active professional and social life thanks to the cocktail treatment which they pay for out of their own pockets, he explained.

The doctor stressed that "the options in this struggle are to either win or die."

The 'Asociacion pro Bienestar y Dignidad de las Personas con Sida' (Association for the Welfare and Dignity of People with AIDS - Probidsida) stated in a communique that every two days that went by while the government refused to provide the latest treatment, "one young Panamanian who could continue to be useful t o society will die."

Local authorities in this Central American country estimate the number of people living with HIV at around 24,000, while 89.3 percent of the 2,379 people who have developed full-blown AIDS since 1984 have died.

In the words of Nunez, "what is at stake this time are lives."

Despite the efforts of Probidsida to help society understand and be tolerant of people with AIDS, "there is still a sector that considers us a bunch of homosexuals who don't deserve the support of the rest of society," he added. A number of drivers caught up in the traffic jam caused by the roadblocks around the Social Security Fund Thursday shouted at the protesters and defended their right to circulate freely.

The protest coincided with others staged since Monday by thousands of Panama City high school students, demonstrating against a new grading system created by the Ministry of Education.
990513
IP990503

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1999. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1999. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .