The Launch of HIV Women and Children's Fund

16 Dec 2005

By Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts and Health

Venue: Goodwood Park Hotel

Good Evening,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentleman

I am very happy to be here for the launch of the HIV Women and Children's Fund. I would like to commend the KK Women's and Children's Hospital for taking on the challenge in setting up this Fund which will go a long way to help HIV infected women and children.

Meeting the Medical Needs of HIV Infected Persons

Individuals who have contracted HIV are people suffering from an illness and should be treated in the same way as people with other illnesses like cancer or heart disease. Those who have contracted the disease would have the same level of access as any other patient to the public healthcare system. For example HIV/AIDS patients are given access to subsidised outpatient and inpatient medical treatment. They can go to any hospital to seek treatment and are treated no differently from other patients. They also have access to drugs. However, there will be some drugs that are considered as non-standard drugs. This is no different from all other non-standard drugs, such as non-standard drugs used in the treatment of cancer or heart disease. HIV/AIDS patients also have access to specialists.

Psychosocial and Economic Dimensions

Like many other chronic disease conditions, HIV/AIDS has a psychosocial and economic dimension.  While the government can take care of the health needs of patients, the community plays an important role in providing support for the psychosocial and economic needs. In this respect, I am pleased to note that many organizations and support groups have taken an active role. For example, the Singapore Cancer Society and the Singapore Heart Foundation not only support disease prevention efforts such as public education and screening for cancer and heart disease respectively, they also provides financial assistance to patients in need. 

It is also heartening to note that similarly there are many organizations and support groups that are actively involved in providing support for persons with HIV/AIDS. Let me just mention a few. At the CDC, there is a Patient Care Centre which was set up in 1997. This centre which is run by volunteers provides counseling, diversional therapy and home care services to patients in need.  Action for AIDS, (AFA) is actively involved in targeted programmes for specific high risk groups such as gay people. I understand that the Association for Women & Research (AWARE) is also helping HIV/AIDS patients. UNIFEM is a trans-national agency which promotes and supports HIV efforts and initiatives for women within and among individual countries.

HIV and Women

In Singapore, although women only make up 10% of new HIV infections, they are vulnerable. As I had mentioned at the Forum on Gender Issues and HIV/AIDS in Southeast Asia two weeks ago, women are a "special" group in the sense that not only are they more susceptible to HIV infection than men, they also bear much of the social burden of the disease. When the infected men fall ill, it is usually the women, who have to care for the sick, manage the household and meet financial needs. When she falls ill, there is usually no one to care for her or the children. If she dies, the children become orphans.

Often real human stories help the public understand the plight of these women and their children. But this cannot be done with HIV/AIDS patients. Yesterday's Straits Times carried a story titled "Hu's gesture backfires for two AIDS victims." In November, state television, showed President Hu Jintao shaking hands with two AIDS patients with their faces exposed, so revealing the identity of the patients. This was meant to dispel discrimination against HIV/AIDS sufferers. Instead, as a result of this publicity, their families are now shunned by neighbors and friends and the lives of the families have been made miserable. Even the chickens raised by the families are not allowed to leave the backyard. So, because of the potential for discrimination, the identity of HIV/AIDS women and their children must be protected even as funds are raised to help them.

HIV Women and Children Fund

Women with HIV/AIDS and their children need help. The HIV Women and Children Fund will be able to provide some help for these families. More than $200,000 has been donated so far to help launch this Fund. Some organisations such as the Women Integrated Network Council and the Association for Women Doctors support this initiative. Their understanding of the problems that women face in society is valuable and these organisations will advise in the disbursement of the funds raised. 

I would like to thank the many donors who have contributed generously to the HIV Women and Children's Fund and the women organizations that have given their support towards this Fund. I hope you will continue to give your support to help women and their children who have been affected by HIV.

Thank you.