Advancing a Disability-Inclusive Health and HIV Response
It is often assumed that people with disabilities face lower risk of HIV than their non-disabled peers – because they are asexual, because they are less likely to use drugs or alcohol, and because they face lower risks of violence or sexual assault than others.
A growing body of research shows that these assumptions are wrong: persons with disabilities have the same rates of sexual activity and substance abuse as persons without disabilities.
Advancing a Disability-Inclusive Health and HIV Response
In fact, persons with disabilities may be more vulnerable to HIV because they are more likely to be abused, marginalized, discriminated against, illiterate, and poorer than the non-disabled population.
In this regard, the National Syndemic Disease Control Council held Persons with Disability summit at Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) under the theme “Advancing a Disability-Inclusive Health and HIV Response”
The Principal Secretary, State Department of Medical Services Harry Kimtai who graced the occasion noted that “Our most important goal is as we roll out universal health care coverage, no one should be left out.T his summit is specifically set for the people with disability to discuss matters health and specifically on the inclusion in treatment of HIV, TB, and other diseases”
The Principal Secretary, State Department of Medical Services Harry Kimtai
People with disabilities have been excluded and neglected in all of the sectors responding to HIV. HIV prevalence data among people with disabilities are scarce.
One of the participants posed and asked “In a case where a person with disability want to access condoms, especially the free condoms that are being distributed, how do they get to know that these are not expired?”
“We are going to review it in terms of our policy and then be able to guide our pharmaceutical companies to see how we can incorporate those who are physically challenged in terms of those who cannot see.” Answered PS Kimtai
Chief Executive Officer, National Syndemic Disease Control Council Dr. Ruth Masha noted that “It is not possible to effectively address the HIV epidemic toward universal access without comprehensively addressing the rights of persons with disabilities through integrated and inclusive programming.
NSDCC also has a continued comprehensive Commitment Plan aimed at eradicating the ‘Triple Threat’ of new HIV infections, gender-based violence (GBV), and teenage pregnancy by the year 2027 with inclusion of PWDs.
