UAE Proposes Voluntary HIV Testing Clinics

DUBAI — The UAE has proposed establishment of voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) clinics under a new draft bylaw on HIV/Aids expected to be mooted by the cabinet this year.

The VCT clinics will be legalised and promoted under the bylaw that aims at protecting the society from spread of infection as well as guaranteeing the rights of people with HIV/Aids, according to the UAE’s progress report on the disease for January 2008-December 2009 that will be presented for the first time at the United Nations General Assembly in New York later this year.

As per the law, VCT clinics or individuals will not be obliged to disclose the identities of those tested.

Though no official from the Ministry of Health was available to comment on the details of the report obtained by Khaleej Times, a press note said the country had adopted a system to deal with the disease.

“The UAE has adopted a draft system for dealing with reported cases and the actions taken to achieve prevention and co-existence of society members from getting affected,” said Dr Mahmoud Fikri, Executive Director for Health Policies at the ministry.

“The UAE submits its periodic report every two years to the United Nations in New York on a regular basis,” he said. In 2008, the UAE was criticised for failing to submit data to the UNAIDS Report on the global Aids epidemic.

The report points out that the UAE has one of the lowest reported HIV rates globally. “This could be attributed to deep-rooted religious, cultural, and social beliefs that help (prevent the) spread (of) the disease (e.g. homosexuality and prostitution); it is also partially attributed to the strong screening programmes that the UAE expatriates are mandated to go through prior to the issuance of their residency in the country,” it reads.

It adds that the exponential increase in the expatriate population had alerted authorities to increase spending on surveillance, prevention and treatment. As much as $17.6 million in public funding is spent on the disease, of which 82 per cent is dedicated to involuntary testing, it says.

As per the report, 49 UAE nationals were found HIV positive in 2009. Of these cases, 39 per cent and 35 per cent were discovered in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, respectively. It was, however, agreed in the report that the reported cases may be underestimated since an undetermined number of nationals prefer to test HIV status and seek care, treatment and support service
outside the country for fear of stigma and discrimination.

In contrast, the number of HIV positive cases among expatriates has been increasing with the increase in the number of foreign workers employed in the country, it said, adding that national reports do not reflect numbers since expatriates are repatriated if they test positive.

“The logic for repatriation of expats diagnosed with the disease relates to the fear that they may develop resistance should treatment be initiated in the UAE and discontinued upon return to home country,” reads the report.

The report also agrees that the weakest element in the UAE’s response to the disease was its monitoring and evaluation system. It also points out the need to conduct behavioural studies, monitor modes of transmission and disseminate education on the disease among school children and youth.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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