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ZADHR statement on World AIDS Day
Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR)
December 01, 2006

World AIDS Day provides an opportunity to focus on the indivisible link between health and human rights. Promoting and protecting the human rights of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) underlies all effective responses to the pandemic as this decreases vulnerability, proactively approaches elimination of discrimination and stigmatisation and guarantees access to information about the disease and its prevention and treatment. A rights-based approach to HIV/AIDS is the key to Stopping AIDS and Keeping the Promise.

The adoption of a Zimbabwean HIV/AIDS & Human Rights Charter, in addition to the National HIV/AIDS Policy already in place, followed by the enactment of legislation which specifically protects the human rights of PLWHA is paramount. Adoption of legislation which protects PLWHA from discrimination will encourage voluntary testing and seeking of treatment. Whilst policy frameworks make a contribution, the human rights principle of non-discrimination must be enshrined in enforceable legislation to be effective.

Hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans are today unable to access public health care or treatment due to prohibitive costs. These costs essentially discriminate against the poor and deny them their right to health. Unaffordable health fees result in PLWHA not seeking medical treatment even for simple opportunistic infections until they are very advanced or while they attempt to raise the funds required. The rights of PLWHA cannot be fulfilled in the absence of guarantees on access to treatment, both in terms of availability and affordability.

It has been shown that 'User Fees' contribute only 2% of the total health service budget. ZADHR urges the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare to work towards measures that ensure that People Living with HIV/AIDS are exempt from all health care fees in the public health care system. These fees do not aid in solving the funding problem in the health service but do prevent the poor from exercising their right to seek much needed medical attention and access treatment.

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