Noticias

"There has been significant progress in some Latin American countries but not all countries have progressed in the same way. While in some totally specific services are contemplated for some populations, in others such services are invisible or have not been developed as much as necessary. Specifically I'm talking about people who can not access health because there are no timetables or conditions appropriate for them. I'm thinking for example of men who have sex with men, sex workers, transgender individuals facing health services that often have a feature of homophobia or transphobia and are not friendly with them. Far from attracting these populations, they repel them," says the official.
 
The indicators of the report "Situation of human rights of gay men, bisexuals and other Latino MSM: progress and challenges" are positive, although much remains to be done. "The dream is not having a health center specific to transgender people but that any transgender person can go to the nearest health center and receive services in a friendly and affordable manner and tailored to his or her needs. That would be the ideal: to expand and provide full access to services to anyone, regardless of their identity, orientation or appearance. "

90-90-90 goals

In 2014, the First Latin American and Caribbean Forum on HIV Care Continuum established a series of goals for 2020, which are:
- Increase by 90% people who know their diagnosis of HIV
- Increase by 90% the number of people on antiretroviral therapy
- Increase by 90% the number of people with undetectable viral load
 
"We from UNAIDS aspire to eliminate AIDS as a core or priority in global public health issue by 2030," said Arellano. The spokesman for the program recognizes that it is not possible to completely eradicate the presence of HIV, but that with an increased investment in public health it is possible to decrease greatly its impact and follow the example of countries like Canada, that due to low demand, closed care services on AIDS. This surprising phenomenon for the official was done in that country through successful public initiatives oin the detection and treatment of HIV / AIDS.
 
"These are aspirational goals because they invite countries to achieve them and therefore are not binding. If countries do not achieve them there isn’t a penalty. They are simply an aspirational target and the intention is to push, prop up the effort to reach this ideal of an AIDS-free generation However, advances in Latin America were done in a very unevenly manner, with some countries closer to achieving these goals in the future than others.”

Access to health and sexual rights

According to Javier Arellano, the problem is not lack of health services per se but access to them and above all, political will. The latter is vital and is achieved with the drive and the insistence of organized civil society, he says.
 
When inquired about the strong conservative influence that threatens the fulfillment of these initiatives at an international level, the spokesman said that an effective way organized citizens can count on is pointing and emphasizing the instruments already signed by the country. "One example is the Montevideo Consensus (http://bit.ly/1z2uIqM) that many countries have ratified. This consensus includes many themes: interculturality, African descents, population aging, among others. Again, it is a very large instrument. The ones I like are the sexual and reproductive health which also include youth centrally. The document outlines very well what the challenges and aspirations regarding sexual and reproductive health issues are. Instruments such as the Montevideo Consensus give us a very clear pattern, a horizon of what steps are next. It is true that in some countries there is greater resistance to sexual and reproductive health issues, but it is also true that many of these countries have ratified these instruments," he says.
 
These documents allow citizens to undertake what is known as advocacy, that is to organize politically to achieve a specific social objective. The signing of these instruments or consensus compromise countries and are means from which citizens can participate politically and create pressure on governments to fulfill what was signed at country level. According to Arellano, progress comes from three areas that must work in synergy: civil society, political will and international cooperation.
 
In Paraguay, a country that just allocates $ 242 per capita on public health, compared to USD 1,442 invested by Uruguay or USD 1,103 by Chile, it is necessary and imperative to combine these three factors: civil society, political will and international cooperation, and this combination must come from an organized society pushing for free and inclusive health services and the guarantee of human rights for all people without discrimination.