Press Release: Take Immediate Actions!

When: 07 May, 2007

Where: Conscious Media Forum

Within twenty days, fourteen HIV infected people have died because of low quality of treatment in Teku Hospital, which has drawn our serious concern towards this issue. Renowned as a complete service provider hospital this incident shows how hospitals are playing with HIV positive people's life.

The interim constitution has also ensured the right to health; however these kinds of incidents have created serious questions all over. Instead of giving interest to the protest by the HIV infected and affected people there has been actions taken to make them more agitate which is a matter sorrow.

The infected people have clearly stated that the government's carelessness has resulted this situation. The team of expert doctors and nurses were shifted to another hospital and in replace inexperience doctors and nurses were placed. Thus, patients taking antiretroviral in the hospital were treated improperly and that caused them death.

Still there is time and the government needs to realize that changing the staffs according to the political 'ups and downs' could hit hard the patients. So, if solution is not identified soon enough the situation can go worse. Our sincere request is thus however, people are saying loud slogans of Loktantra there are still many hurdles in people's life and all of us need to understand this context.

Loss of one's life because of HIV infection is a loss of a production capacity for the whole country. This is the reason we want to add, HIV is no longer the issue of HIV infected only but of each and everyone. We humbly ask all to realize that if the growing situation of HIV is not controlled in time, and that is now, the youth and human resource of Nepal will go down within a span of time. In addition at a time when the country is engaged in big talks of rights and justice, it is extremely important to see these critical issues at the margin with a greater sense of urgency.

A common alliance for labor, advocate, students, youths, media, lawyers, women, Association of Dalit and Janajati known as Asian People's Alliance for Combating HIV&AIDS (APACHA), our voice is that HIV should be made a public issue. From APACHA Nepal's side showing solidarity towards the protest of HIV infected people for their rights we also request MoH and NCASC to involve more in this matter. We also seek for solidarity from everyone else. Besides, our request is for a separate ward and unit for HIV infected people and a provision of free treatment for the incapable and poor people with HIV infection in all five regional hospitals of Nepal including Kathmandu.

We thus would like to appeal to the government to take immediate actions respecting the rights of PLHA.. We also would like to request all like minded actors to express their solidarity.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
APACHA Nepal Secretariat
C/O Conscious Media Forum
Phone: 4267315
Email: cmfnepal@gmail.com