With all-time record high of cases in a month since 1984

TUCP reiterates call to declare HIV/AIDS national epidemic

By TUCP
August 29, 2014

QUEZON CITY – Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) reiterated its appeal to the Department of Health (DOH) to declare a national epidemic on the alarming incidence of human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) that causes the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) following a recorded all-time high record of 585 cases in July last month since the government begun monitoring the phenomenon in 1984.

"We are putting the DOH leadership directly responsible for the rise of HIV incidence in the country. The department has been complacent if not passive with its approach towards addressing the phenomenal rise of the problem. That is why we are repeating our call to make such declaration so that it can go out of its way and marshal much needed energy, focus and resources to reduce the virus spread," TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.

After a dramatic shift from 2 infection rate per hour to one, the TUCP urged the DOH in May this year to declare HIV/AIDS as national epidemic similar to other debilitating diseases so that it can mobilize its political and economic resources in coping with the problem.

Aside from plans of buying and distributing more condoms by next year, the department has no other counteroffensive strategy to combat the development of the incurable virus now attacking young adult workers who are otherwise in their productive years, most particularly in men having sex with men community, he added.

The DOH rather assigned its HIV/AIDS strategy to attached Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC).

Mandated by law as the central advisory, planning and policy-making body for the comprehensive and integrated HIV/AIDS prevention and control program in the country, the PNAC, however, is going moribund due to its lack of budget and leadership to actualize its HIV/AIDS targeted plans and programs for the country.

"The PNAC has a very good and determined secretariat but it doesn't even have a real budget to perform its primary duty as multi-agency and multi-sectoral approach to the challenge. Currently though the PNAC is relying on the budget from the DOH and has been static due to internal and external problems. But with the declaration, the PNAC can be spurred into action," Tanjusay stressed.