Free testing and lifetime medication for patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are available at the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH) and other similar facilities in the province, a health official in Dumaguete City said.
Junife Amada, coordinator of the National Tuberculosis and HIV program of the Provincial Health Office (PHO) here, said during a Kapihan sa PIA forum that these are some of the interventions offered to those living with HIV.
Amada said the Department of Health (DOH) provides regular funding for medicines, X-rays and other tests for HIV patients and those with tuberculosis (TB).
She could not give a specific amount, though.
However, the provincial government has a P1 million allocation from its Gender and Development (GAD) fund to cover the same purposes.
“There is no cure for HIV, so all we can do is to continue providing them with the treatment and tests needed,” she said.
Amada said massive information, education, and awareness campaigns to reach out to as many sectors as possible are needed to fight HIV.
PHO records showed that Negros Oriental logged a total of 560 HIV cases from January 1984 to July 2023 with 64 deaths.
Of the total cases, 94 percent were male patients.
Amada said the data from August 2023 to date still has to be consolidated as it is difficult to identify and locate the patients who are tested and treated for HIV.
She called on the public, especially those who are engaged in “risky behavior,” to have themselves tested for HIV while appealing to youth groups to help in their information and education campaign.
To avoid stigma, the PHO and other HIV hubs in the province can be requested for a private consultation and testing, she said.
Amada said there is a rising incidence of HIV cases among the younger sector, aged 15 to 24, as they are usually uninformed, not practicing safe sex, and are into “risky behavior.”
The health official called on those taking HIV medication to continue with their regimen so they can live a normal life once their viral load has dropped to a certain level.
There are at least 424 persons living with HIV who are under treatment while 49 are “missing” as they have not returned for refills, she said.
Dumaguete City has the highest number of HIV cases at 188, being the capital as well as the socio-economic hub, but Amada said these patients are not necessarily residents here but have only sought treatment and medication for viral disease. (PNA)