Thursday, June 01, 2006

Bloody Politicians!

Dr J has come over all op-ed again. Apologies in advance.

This may also seem a tad disloyal since I sit here in a position funded out of general taxation and working to all intents and purposes in government service, subcontracted as I am to the Dept of Health. Still, I'm moved to say it again. Bloody Politicians. More specifically in this case the UN.

You see, they've been having a conference this week. On HIV and AIDS. Only they are now bickering over the text of the final "agreement". It seems some members don't like reference to gay men, prostitutes or drug users in the document. It might look as though the text condones "illegal activity" in some countries. Then there's the USA. They're ok with the whole at risk groups thing apparently. They just don't want any reference to needle exchange schemes for drug users. It goes against their whole Volstead era prohibition attitude.

So, no mention of at risk groups then, and no mention of some of the most effective interventions to avoid spread of the disease. And they wonder why the pandemic is a crisis of global proportions.

Sounds like time and money well spent to me.

Not.

2 comments:

David said...

Hence the useful role of NGO's

Doctor Jest said...

Hear hear. Still makes you want to weep / scream / hit someone very hard with a bat* sometimes though.

*that's a cricket bat here in blighty, not a small flying mammal and definitely NOT a girly rounders bat.