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17 August, 2009
In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report on, among other items, the HIV/AIDS seminar in Mongolia and how the economic crisis affects prevention and treatment.
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Editor: Hans J Schwass, ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant
HIV/AIDS Workshop in Mongolia
With funding from ICEM-JAF, Japan, the Taiwan Petroleum Workers’ Union, and the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project, the ICEM affiliate, the Mongolian Energy, Geology and Mine Workers’ Trade Unions (MEGMTU) organised an HIV/AIDS seminar in Ulaanbaatar from 10 to 12 August. Forty-five participants, of whom 17 were women, attended the seminar. The opening was also attended by representatives from the ILO and the Asian Development Bank, which has recently started an HIV/AIDS prevention project, focusing on infrastructure and the mining sector.
Following up on the Tripartite Declaration on the prevention of HIV/AIDS at workplaces, signed in October 2007 by the Ministry of Social Welfare and Labour, the Confederation of Mongolian Trade Unions (CMTU) and the Mongolian Employers’ Federation (MONEF), the seminar had the title “Development of Social Partner Cooperation to Prevent HIV/AIDS in the Mineral and Energy Sectors”. In line with the objectives of the seminar, representatives from government agencies and from MONEF also attended.
As an outcome of working groups, participants made detailed recommendations concerning the improvement of legislation and HIV/AIDS interventions at national, industry and workplace level. The final declaration calls for tripartite cooperation at national level and bipartite cooperation at the workplace level with action-oriented programmes to be implemented.
The prevalence rate in Mongolia is still low; UNAIDS estimates 820 cases. The objective is to keep it at this low rate, or push it to zero. Prevention is therefore the focus of HIV/AIDS work in Mongolia. Mining areas and also some energy projects are in remote areas. Workers are often separated from their families for a long time; they earn wages above the national industrial average and commercial sex workers are attracted to these areas. Foreign migrant workers are also employed. The present low prevalence rate therefore hides a potentially explosive situation.
Disruption of Treatment Threatened by Global Economic Crisis
In 22 countries, disruption of HIV prevention and treatment programmes is expected over the course of this year, as a result of the global economic crisis, according to a report by UNAIDS and the World Bank, released on 6 July.
According to the report “The Global Economic Crisis and HIV Prevention and Treatment Programmes: Vulnerabilities and Impact”, eight countries are already facing shortages of antiretroviral drugs. Together, these countries are home to more than 60% of people receiving AIDS treatment.
In 34 countries, representing 75% of people living with HIV, there is already an impact on HIV prevention programmes, focusing on high-risk groups. Furthermore, the report suggests that poor nutrition because of reduced incomes and rising unemployment could also influence the effectiveness of ARV drugs. Community networks, which often are the only social safety net for the poor, are also being crippled by the financial crisis.
While there are no reports of substantial cuts in donor assistance for 2009, there is concern that financial sustainability of antiretroviral treatment programmes that depend mainly on external aid is uncertain.
(Source: Press Release UNIADS, 6 July. The report can be accessed at www.unaids.org)
SWHAP Network Meets on Economic Crisis
The economic crisis was also the focus of the South Africa Network workshop of the Swedish Workplace HIV and AIDS Programme (SWHAP). Twenty-eight coordinators from 11 workplaces discussed the implications of the economic crisis and how workplace programmes on HIV and AIDS, as well as wellness programmes, could cope with the financial stress they are currently experiencing.
Participants also discussed how health workers and lay counsellors in the programme can be empowered with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to ensure effective adherence to treatment by workers. ICEM HIV/AIDS Project Management Assistant, Paule Ndessomin, attended the meeting in Johannesburg.
(Source: Information on the SWHAP website www.swhap.org)
Ethiopia: Nurses are Empowered to Boost ARV Treatment
Facing mounting difficulties in bringing antiretroviral drugs to people living with HIV and AIDS who need them, the Ethiopian Government has given nurses the authority to prescribe and supervise ARV therapy. This will expand access to treatment, especially in rural areas where there are few doctors. The number of clinics staffed by nurses trained to dispense the drugs will increase from 400 to 1,300 over the next three years with help from the Global Fund.
About 370,000 of the 1.1 million Ethiopians with HIV/AIDS need ARVs but only 120,000 are getting the medication. Ethiopia hopes to more than double that number to meet the United Nations Millennium Goal of having 80 percent receiving treatment by 2010.
The target is ambitious. Half the children under five years old are chronically malnourished and almost 40 percent of the 85 million population live below the poverty line, but the biggest hurdles are training and keeping enough doctors to distribute the drugs, bringing health services to the 80 percent of the population who live in the countryside, and making the programme self-supporting, should money from the donors dry up. Poor pay and difficult working conditions have driven many health professionals to seek higher-paid jobs abroad.
(Source: IRIN PlusNews, 7 August)
Namibia: Court Case Highlights Workers’ Rights
An out-of-court settlement was reached in the case of the Namibian hotel workers (see HIV/AIDS e-bulletin no. 46, July 2009). The workers had fought a nine-year legal battle after being tested without their consent, and for having their confidentiality breached by their employer, the Oshakati Country Lodge. They settled for monetary compensation before the case was heard in court.
While a court case would have set precedents, the Legal Assistance Centre in Namibia nevertheless managed to re-emphasise fundamental principles during the drawn-out case, such as: no testing without informed consent, and maintenance of confidentiality.
(Source: Additional information provided by Robert E. Lovelace, Washington)
AIDSPAN Releases Beginners’ Guide to the Global Fund
Aidspan has released a new guide, designed to provide a broad introduction to the Global Fund for people who have little or no prior experience of the Fund. A Beginner’s Guide to the Global Fund will be of interest to a wide range of people.
A Beginner’s Guide to the Global Fund comes in three versions: the full guide (about 60 pages), an eight-page summary and a two-page summary. All three versions are available in English at www.aidspan.org/guides. French-, Spanish- and Russian-language editions of all three versions will be available by early September 2009 at the same site. The full version of the guide contains numerous links to the websites of the Global Fund and Aidspan, for people who need in-depth information.
(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 105, 28 July. GFO is a free service of Aidspan (www.aidspan.org). To receive GFO, send an email to [email protected].
News from the Global Union Federations
The fortnightly HIV/AIDS updates of 1 and 15 July of the International Transport Workers’ Federation report, among others, on the integration of HIV/AIDS in ITF Inspectors’ seminars, and the progress of the US Government to end its longstanding ban on HIV positive visitors and migrants. (www.itfglobal.org).
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