Diaz, Jeramie, Archie Rivera; Names Project Philippines,  Kaagapay Support Group (KSG);
Manila Philippines

QUALITY OF LIFE: PERSPECTIVE OF A FILIPINO PWA

ISSUE:

What has life to offer for me after having been diagnosed HIV positive? I had been thinking and contemplating about this for 12 years now. What gains have I received since then? What has been the impact of the multi-sectoral efforts made for us PLWHAs? What is quality of life amidst this struggle?

DISCUSSION:

Despite research and advances made in medicine, cocktail chemotherapy, voluminous drug trials and protocols that abound, still life of a Filipino PLWHAs has been deteriorating if not the same- still hoping for the so called "QUALITY OF LIFE". CD4 count is the only laboratory procedure to monitor our status. Sad to say we are not informed of our results. We do not even have access to our own medical records. Viral load detection is not available to all PLWAs, it is only those enrolled as guinea pigs for drug trials. PWAs are very much informed of existing therapy and alternative treatment. But everything is just theory and no realization. If this is the situation, how can be expecting for quality of life? But we are still looking forward for governments to addressing quality of life. Frustrating for anyone in my shoe, Cocktail drugs are too far to be realized for they are too expensive. Then there are still the basic needs that need to be addressed as well. Now the question of basic needs are lacking what do we have in store for appropriate retrovirals which we also need to prolong and maintain quality of life?

RESULTS:

Each and everyone of us who are positive had been longing for treatment that will cure our HIV infection. That is too far from reality. There are no available drugs, not even paracetamols for fever or antibiotics to treat microbial opportunistic infections. Nutritious food and clean water to drink is also a problem.  Overcrowded facility for bedridden PWAs and the lack of healthcare providers.  A PWA usually is left tp take of a peer PWA, straining the person, thus becomes ill as well. One after the other PWAs health deteriorate eventually lost forever.

LESSONS LEARNED:

In a developing country where resources are limited sometimes none, still there is a need to address a PWAs quality of life. There is a need to adjust and work within limited resources and NGOs, POs, CBOs have to double time and effort to lobby to governments, international agencies to allocate budget not only for the preventive aspects of AIDS programs but budget as well for the curative aspects of the epidemic.