are you satisfied with complacency?
and your services. Instead of local health authorities, there will be PCTs - Primary Care Trusts - groups of GPs who will be expected to
make the commissioning decisions for their local area.
How much do you trust your local GPs to continue to provide the current
level of HIV services and treatment that you have access to? Do you think
PCTs will be willing to spend any money at all on peer support? Or on
information services such as Positive Nation and NAM? HIV isn't fashionable
any more. There are likely to be more protests by local worthies and press
about money spent on it: "We don't have any HIV in our area. Why
should we spend money on it?"
Well, because although people with HIV may be concentrated in certain
communities, there are positive people everywhere, that's why. And they
do not find HIV as easy to live with as - oh, hay fever or something.
HIV infection affects the whole of your life, your relationships, your
sex life, your family, and your children.
If we are already infected we can't change that, but we can try to stop
others being infected, and we can work to improve life for all who are
infected or affected.
We achieved such a lot in the 80s and early 90s. Let's not be self-satisfied
and throw it all away now.
Ruth
Webb is Chairman of the UK Coalition of People Living with HIV and AIDS.
page 3 of 3
contents
of issue 73/74
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