Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia - Monday November 26, 2001
"Singapore is considered third world as far as HIV is concerned," Action for AIDS (AFA) secretary Brenton Wong told a news conference to launch the group's World AIDS Day activities.
"The government does not even give any subsidies for anti-retroviral (drugs)."
In the first 10 months of this year, 185 Singaporeans were diagnosed with HIV, bringing the total number of HIV-infected locals to 1,547, according to Ministry of Health statistics released Monday.
Of those infected, 367 have full-blown AIDS and 572 died. Most Singaporeans with HIV are middle-aged, heterosexual men who caught the virus via casual sex or sex with prostitutes.
The optimum dose of drugs to keep the deadly virus at bay costs between $656 and $820 per month in the city state. Less than 10 percent of Singaporeans who were infected could afford that much, Wong said.
"I have a lot of difficulty in affording my medication," Elizabeth, an HIV-positive mother of four in her early 30s, said at the news conference under condition of anonymity. "I just hope that we can get easy access to the drugs."
Elizabeth contracted the disease from her Malaysian husband three years ago and has skimped on drugs to support her children. The husband was sent home under Singapore law when he was found to be infected.
The Singapore government says it does not pay for the medication because HIV and AIDS are not curable, with the money better spent on other health programs.
Some 6 million people in Southeast Asia are living with HIV/AIDS -- the second largest geographical group after sub-Saharan Africa.
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