- Title: MYANMAR/THAILAND: Nearly 70,000 HIV patients struggle to get treatment in Myanmar
- Date: 19th September 2009
- Summary: PEOPLE SINGING AND PLAYING GUITAR
- Embargoed: 4th October 2009 13:00
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- Topics: International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVA5Z59VM1WFSKYIHIS09GW2YVQ
- Story Text: On the outskirts of Yangon, three wooden houses are used as a hospice for HIV sufferers and a refuge for patients who come to the city for treatment.
Some 50 HIV patients live in the houses set up by 39-year-old Ma Phyu Phyu (pron: Ma Pew-Pew), who has been running this hospice since 2002.
With donations from locals that comes up to about $6000 U.S. dollar a month, she is able to house the patients and provide for their needs.
Patients sing praises of Phyu and say she is an angel as she makes sure everyone is happy with food, clothes, medication and even entertainment.
Phyu said she has treated more than 2,000 people since she started the shelter. Many of them travelled across the country to seek treatment from her as the government-run hospitals don't do much for them.
"The patient have to bear all the costs, there is very little the government run hospital can provide. The government can only give them anti-biotic medicines," said Phyu, who also owns a small furniture shop and often uses her own money to help the people.
According to UNAIDS' latest estimate, Myanmar had about 240,000 HIV patients in 2007, but little has been done for them by the government.
There is little or no news coverage about them although many are in need of expensive anti-retroviral treatment.
"We cannot afford to get the anti-retroviral treatment as it is now costing us about 12,000 ($1843 USD )to 13,000 kyats," said a HIV patient declined to be identified. He added that the government hospital did not provide people like him with care.
Many of the patients can't return home because that would mean they would be cut off from access to medical treatment.
According to the 2008 UNAIDS report on the Myanmar situation, an estimated of 70,000 people are in need of anti-retroviral treatment, but only 15 percent actually have access.
Some 17,000 people died last year and 16,000 people were newly-infected in the same year, according to UNAIDS.
The need to educate and help the HIV positive people in Myanmar is also hampered by travel restrictions put in place by the military junta.
UNAIDS director in Asia and the Pacific, Prasada Rao, urged the government and non-government organisations to keep politics out of the AIDS issue, and to quickly give patients the treatment they need.
"I just said the coverage still not adequate because about 70,000 people need treatment but right now only 15,000 people are getting. So many more people are waiting for treatment so they need to increase the coverage, put more people on treatment, not only the government but also in private and NGO clinics which is immediate needed," said Rao.
In 2007, reports say the junta shut down a Yangon monastery which served as a hospice for some HIV/AIDS patients and expelled its monks. They said the abbots have long had the reputation of supporting pro-democracy campaigns.
According to the UNAIDS, some $100 million U.S. dollars are used to cope with three major diseases in Myanmar, including HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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