Developing health system to treat patients equally is key to tackling Aids: Anutin
Dealing with all types of discrimination and developing a public health system to treat patients equally is key to tackling Aids, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Tuesday.
He made the remark after presiding over the 50th United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids Programme Coordinating Board conference (UNAids PCB) at the World Health Organisation’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Anutin said Thailand had raised public awareness on Aids as the disease still posed a threat to its public health system.
Thailand, he said, would promote three guidelines to tackle the problem:
1. Educating/helping teenagers so they don’t contract Aids as the disease affects their health and livelihoods. In addition, Aids also affects the country’s development potential.
2. Including Aids treatment in the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) system as many patients have been unable to access treatment. Thailand has also invited other countries to include Aids treatment under their UHC systems.
3. Dealing with all types of discrimination, such as in hospitals, educational institutions, workplaces and communities. Meanwhile, policies and laws related to discrimination must be launched to protect human dignity and ensure access to essential services.
Anutin also hoped humanity would be able to do away with Aids by 2030, or in the next 7-8 years.
Meanwhile, deputy government spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul said the UNAids PCB conference, held from June 21 to 24, aimed to enable representatives around the world to present their goals and operating results to deal with Aids by 2030.
The conference will be held again in Thailand from December 13 to 15, she added.