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Claremont McKenna College

Publication Date

Fall 2005

Program Name

Southern Cone: Regional Integration, Development and Social Change

Abstract

The focus of my research is the access to HIV treatment in the public health sector in Buenos Aires. HIV testing and treatment are guaranteed, by law, financed completely by the government for patients in the public health sector who do not have any private insurance or social work insurance plan. Over three quarters of the registered cases of HIV are patients in the public sector. Although health care is free in the Capital, many patients don’t take HIV tests, seek treatment or eventually stop taking their medication. To investigate the motivations of the patients, I interviewed three sectors that work in various aspects of HIV treatment. These sectors include: government programs, non-governmental organizations of professionals and non-governmental organizations of base members. My research included primary and secondary sources including: books, journal articles, newspaper articles, internet sites, pamphlets, personal interviews and observation. The key barriers to HIV testing and treatment are: hidden costs, distorted perception of the virus, misunderstanding and poor implementation of laws pertaining to HIV, and adherence to treatment programs. Many of these issues are the product of a society ridden with poverty, which in turn, means many receive poor education and lack personal resources.

Disciplines

Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Public Health Education and Promotion

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