SRH and HIV/AIDS Linkages at Policies, Programmes and Service ...
SRH and HIV/AIDS Linkages at Policies, Programmes and Service ...
SRH and HIV/AIDS Linkages at Policies, Programmes and Service ...
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BANGLADESHCAMBODIANEPALPHILIPPINESChurch <strong>and</strong> the St<strong>at</strong>e have practicallyled to a st<strong>and</strong>still in terms of promotionof reproductive health.The bills on reproductive health areprobably the most misunderstoodof legisl<strong>at</strong>ions to be filed. All of theproposed bills cover all elements ofreproductive health listed below:i. M<strong>at</strong>ernal, infant <strong>and</strong> child health<strong>and</strong> nutrition;ii.Promotion of breastfeeding;iii. Family planning inform<strong>at</strong>ion <strong>and</strong>services;iv.Prevention of abortion <strong>and</strong>management of post-abortioncomplic<strong>at</strong>ions;v. Adolescent <strong>and</strong> youth health;vi.Prevention <strong>and</strong> managementof reproductive tract infections(RTIs), <strong>HIV</strong>/<strong>AIDS</strong> <strong>and</strong> othersexually transmittable infections(STIs);vii. Elimin<strong>at</strong>ion of violence againstwomen;viii. Educ<strong>at</strong>ion <strong>and</strong> counsellingon sexuality <strong>and</strong> sexual <strong>and</strong>reproductive health;ix. Tre<strong>at</strong>ment of breast <strong>and</strong>reproductive tract cancers <strong>and</strong>other gynecological conditions;x. Male involvement <strong>and</strong>particip<strong>at</strong>ion in reproductivehealth;xi. Prevention <strong>and</strong> tre<strong>at</strong>ment ofinfertility <strong>and</strong> sexual dysfunction;<strong>and</strong>xii. Reproductive health educ<strong>at</strong>ion foryouth.Unfortun<strong>at</strong>ely, the bills were criticisedby some sectors of society for being ‘antilife’<strong>and</strong> for condoning, even promoting,promiscuity <strong>and</strong> immorality. Theywere criticised mainly for includingthe use of contraceptives <strong>and</strong> teachingsex educ<strong>at</strong>ion in schools. The proposedbills on reproductive health in bothHouses of Congress elicited <strong>and</strong>continue to invite he<strong>at</strong>ed deb<strong>at</strong>esregarding their content. Very recently,President Benigno Aquino expressedhis support for the reproductive health(RH) framework. As expected, hispronouncement of support for RH wasmet with opposition from the C<strong>at</strong>holicChurch <strong>and</strong> the conflict betweenthe St<strong>at</strong>e <strong>and</strong> the Church has againsurfaced.The sections below present the resultsof the assessment of the institutionalcapacity for <strong>HIV</strong>/<strong>AIDS</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>SRH</strong>linkages. There are three major sectionsof the findings:i. Policy - The level <strong>and</strong> effectivenessof linkages between sexual <strong>and</strong>reproductive health <strong>and</strong> rights <strong>and</strong><strong>HIV</strong>-rel<strong>at</strong>ed policies, n<strong>at</strong>ional laws,oper<strong>at</strong>ional plans <strong>and</strong> guidelines, ifany.ii. Systems – The extent to which thesystems support effective linkagesof <strong>SRH</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>HIV</strong> with respectto planning, management <strong>and</strong>administr<strong>at</strong>ion; staffing, humanresources <strong>and</strong> capacity development;logistics <strong>and</strong> supplies; labor<strong>at</strong>orysupport; <strong>and</strong> monitoring <strong>and</strong>evalu<strong>at</strong>ion100
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