Treatment for PLHIV still a major concern

By ELIZABETH MIAE
DRUG adherence remains one of the biggest challenges for people living with HIV (PLHIV) although it is widely available in the country.
Positive advocate for PLHIV, Helen Samilo said positive people, including people who suffered from other infectious diseases, needed to understand the importance of taking their treatment.
She said for people who have malaria, tuberculosis (TB) and other diseases, they would have to take their treatment for a certain period of time to be cured.
But for PLHIV, Samilo said, the treatment would have to be taken all their life in order for them to prolong their lives.
She said these were little but very important messages that doctors give to people who are diagnosed with HIV.
“Treatment is widely available but why are people dying?
“Yes, treatment is my right but if I want to stay healthy I have to make it my business to take my medication,” Samilo said as an encouragement for PLHIV.
“If I take it properly it will prolong my life. All the choices of a healthy lifestyle is in our hands,” she added.
Samilo spoke to The National yesterday as she prepared to join other positive people, groups, the National AIDS Council Secretariat (NACS) and all its stakeholders to commemorate the World AIDS Day (WAD) today.
This year’s global theme is “Universal Access and Human Rights” which the NACS has translated to the PNG context as “Testim na tritim– emi rait blong yu”.
All stakeholders involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS have prepared different activities.
In Port Moresby the activities include an AIDS walk which will start at 7 am at the Somare Foundation building at Waigani and proceed onto the Sir John Guise stadium where the heart of all the activities will take place.
Booths have been set up  for people to have access to information on HIV/AIDS and the programmes, projects and services provided by the different stakeholders and organisations.