Integrating SRH and HIV services needs making a strong connection between sexuality, contraceptive choice, and STI/HIV prevention. It also needs harnessing the inherent synergy between preventing unwanted pregnancy and preventing STI/HIV. IPPF South Asia Regional Office supported its member associations in reviewing HIV related national policies of their countries so that they could identify gaps in policies and also make recommendations to respective governments. These reviews have emphasized that convergence calls for a ‘systemic’ approach and involves measures for convergence at the policy level, at the program level, at the service delivery level, and at the client and community level. In the region inadequate skill set of SRH providers to deal with issues of sexuality, HIV care, and vulnerable populations and resistance from some SRH service providers (as they feel that their services would be stigmatized), bureaucratic bottlenecks etc. are areas that needed special attention. Governments in the region need to be supported in not only making necessary policy changes but also in strengthening their programs and service delivery through training and capacity building initiatives.
Research Summary: A literature review published by Path (in January 2007) titled Convergence of HIV and SRH services in India - Impacts on and Implications for Key Populations in India is available at:
http://www.path.org/files/CP_india_convg_lit_rev.pdf. This review observes that people living with HIV often face discrimination in general health services where HIV services are located in them. Stand alone HIV service points which have added-on SRH services are often preferred by positive people but remain in some cases challenged by problems of quality, coverage, and inadequate skills to comprehensively address sexual matters. Like general health systems, they are at risk of obscuring women’s rights to control their fertility by sometimes coercive efforts to prevent positive people from having sex or getting pregnant. Recent literature exploring the fertility intentions of positive people places their fertility choices firmly in the realm of social relations which in many contexts associate motherhood with status – a situation which HIV-SRH converged services have the potential to address more explicitly.
Resources: Family Planning Choices for Women with HIV published by INFO project in August 2007 is available at: http://www.infoforhealth.org/pr/l15/l15.pdf.
News: The recent Sixth South Asian Regional Ministerial Conference, organized by the UNIFEM South Asia regional office at New Delhi has launched the SAARC Gender Database. As a single data pool on gender issues of the region, it has records on trafficking and violence against women, and women’s health, including HIV/AIDS and feminization of poverty. See the data base at:
http://www.saarc-sec.org/gshop/index.html
Events: The Centre for Communication Programs at Johns Hopkins will conduct its 21st workshop on Leadership in Strategic Health Communication: Making a Difference in Infectious Diseases, HIV/ AIDS and Reproductive Health from 1-20 June 2008. Guided by international communication and health experts, participants explore the elements of effective behaviour development communication and advocacy programs. Applications will not be accepted after March 31, 2008. Details available at:
http://www.jhuccp.org/training/Workshop/LSHC.shtml
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