Some Good News From Uzbekistan
Politics and Society, UzbekistanNo Comment
Since a scan of the headlines on Uzbekistan (or just scrolling down this page) paints an extremely depressing picture (human rights abuses, media crack-downs, etc.), a positive story not by the government reporting agency really stands out.
The Uzbek government has initiated a program to fight the spread of HIV and AIDS throughout the country:
In an effort to combat stigma and encourage testing, the government has introduced integrated facilities under one roof: a clinic for anonymous testing, a needle exchange for intravenous drug users and an advice centre for sex workers.
The report notes that Uzbekistan has the highest number of HIV/AIDS cases in Central Asia, which is not really that surprising given that it also has the biggest population. Still, it represents a formidable threat that must be dealt with, and according to this article at least, Uzbekistan seems to be doing a pretty good job.
In fact, according to neweurasia’s survey on HIV/AIDS by Jessica of the Center for Global Development, not only is Uzbekistan’s strategy dead on, it overcomes formidable obstacles by major donor countries like the United States:
So where should the international community focus its efforts? First, through facilitating needle-exchanges (which Kyrgyzstan has already experimented with in its prisons), and second, through targeted outreach to commercial sex workers. Neither program requires expensive equipment, new clinics, or staff and are thus not only ideally suited to the epidemiologic characteristics but also to the existing health capacity in the region. But both programs, unfortunately, are ineligible for U.S. funding, which represents a huge obstacle given that the U.S. policies guide not only its bilateral donations but also influence multilateral funds to which it contributes, including the World Bank and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB & Malaria.
Also interesting to note, crucial to the Uzbek government’s efforts is an NGO (perish the thought) called “Trust and Life,â€? or “Ishonch va hayot.” I can’t find much information on them or where they get their funding, except that many of its members are themselves HIV-positive.
Uzbekistan seems to be making strides in its health policy, at least. While it is hard to tell how effective this effort will ultimately be from one report, at least the country is pursuing an intelligent strategy.
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